La Vita Bella
by TStabler
Summary: Sequel to Young and Beautiful. Our St. Mary's graduates are all grown up, and they all have lives of their own. Some are beautiful, some are tragic, but somehow they are all intertwined. Long-forgotten secrets are unearthed, relationships change. E/O etc.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: o..O Here it is...enjoy? The twins have just celebrated their sixth birthday, a new baby was born on January 23, 2005. But whose? This story begins exactly three years after Young and Beautiful ended, to the day, making the new arrival two years and two months old.)**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

**MARCH 28, 2007**

Phones were ringing off the hook, people were chattering, witnesses were giving statements to detectives, victims were crying, but the only thing he could think about was his wife. She was mad at him, refusing to talk to him about anything but their current case, shooting him annoyed looks.

She glared at him as she moved to take a phone call, and his heart cracked a bit. "Liv," he whispered, trying to get her attention.

She held up a finger as she rattled off a phone number to the person on the other end of the line. She hung up and looked at him. "What?"

"Can we stop this, please?" he asked. "I promise, it'll never happen again, I didn't even think about it. I didn't think it was such a big deal, but..."

"At three in the morning, when I am attempting to potty train your son, the last thing I need is for him to fall into the toilet because you can't remember to put the seat down," she said, her eyes narrow. "Also? Changing the toilet paper roll does not cause brain damage!"

He pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. "I told you I was sorry."

"He cried for over an hour, Elliot," she said, her face falling from something angry to something exhausted. "He was soaked, and he was cold, and he wouldn't let me go."

"I swear, I will remember to put the seat down from now on," he said, his eyes serious. "Forgive me? Talk to me? I can't stand it when you're mad at me."

She took a deep breath and then she nodded. "Fine," she said. "I was getting tired of hating you, too," she said, letting him catch a glimpse of a small smile.

"You two," their captain said, walking over to their desks, "The new ADA will be here in about ten minutes, I need you to have a complete package for her on the Henderson case. She has no idea what she's walking into. They never do."

"Right, Jefe," Elliot said, reaching for an empty manila folder.

John Munch, the most senior detective in the unit, and familiar face, chuckled. "I am now taking bets on how long this one's gonna last. I got two hundred bucks on less than a month. Who wants in?"

Olivia rolled her eyes when her friend, and fellow detective in the unit, Brian Cassidy raised his hand. "Gimme seventy-five on less than a week," the guy said. She looked at Elliot. "Don't you dare," she said.

"Hey, I never bet against Munch," he said, shaking his head. "We've got three kids, a mortgage, two car payments, and a ton of bills we have to pay. I'm not stupid."

She chuckled. "Speaking of bills," she said, handing him a few papers and photographs to put into the folder in his hand, "I just mailed out our last Discover payment. That thing is paid off, and out of our lives."

"Yeah," he said, raising both eyebrows. "Until the next emergency we need it for." He shook his head, stapling the papers, and said, "We're doing good, though."

"And to think people thought we'd never last," she said with a sigh.

"Who the hell thought that?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

She laughed. "No one, that's just what you're supposed to say when things are going really good." She handed him several handwritten and signed statements and watched him put them into the folder. "That it?"

"If she needs more than this, she's not a very good lawyer," he said, closing the folder.

"I assure, I'm a great lawyer, Detective Stabler," a voice behind him said.

He turned, and his smile immediately faded. "Oh, my God," he said, moving his chair so Olivia could see who it was.

"Alex?" Olivia questioned, standing up. "What are you...I thought you were still in Jersey with your mother and the baby. When did you..."

"What baby?" Alex asked, her head tilted. "Wipe the dumbfounded expressions off of your faces and tell me what I'm dealing with here."

Elliot looked at Olivia, shrugged, and held out the folder to Alex. "Paul Henderson," he said. "Accused of raping a twelve year old girl after he picked her up from a birthday party."

"He's the driver for a car service," Olivia said. "After the word got out, thirteen other girls..."

"I can read," Alex said coldly. "Do you have anything solid, or am I supposed to base my entire case around the fantastic stories of a bunch of children?"

Elliot snorted, not amused. "DNA inside two of the girls, every last one of them picked him out of a photo spread and a line up, seven of them told us where his birthmark was. I thought you said you could read."

Alex snapped her eyes toward him. "Just keep doing your job and feeding me evidence. I'll go schedule his arraignment." She turned, but she stopped. "One question. Well, two actually. Is the captain of this unit really okay with the two of you being married?"

Olivia's eyes widened. "Will you keep it down? There are only three people in this place who know about that, we've gotta keep it quiet."

Alex smirked. "Right," she said, condescending. "And is the sergeant of this precinct okay with your captain being Elliot's father?"

Elliot took a step, glaring at her, and through clenched teeth he hissed, "No one knows. No one is gonna find out, you got that?"

"Sure," Alex said, grinning like a cat that swallowed a canary. "Whatever you say, Detective Stabler. Just...do your job, and I'll do mine, and we'll be just fine." She turned again and walked out, without saying goodbye.

"Holy shit," Olivia said under her breath. She shot Elliot a nervous look as she turned to move back to her desk. This wasn't good. Not good at all.

* * *

"Trevor?" Casey called into the house. "Trev, honey?" She walked further into the living room, and she saw the light on the answering machine blink. "Guess he's not home," she said to herself. She pushed the button and listened to the outgoing message, then heard the first recorded memo play.

"Trevor, my name is Dean Porter. You, uh, you helped out with a case a few years ago, involving my father. I just wanted to thank you for both your discretion and your time. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. You can get to me through Elliot Stabler. I think you know him."

Casey looked confused, but before she could replay the message to figure it out, she felt his hands on her shoulders. She jumped, then turned. "What was that about? What case?"

Trevor rolled his eyes. "Casey, not now, all right? I signed a non-disclosure..."

"How many years ago?" she asked, folding her arms.

He ran a hand down his face. "Three," he said shortly.

"Are you...you're not talking about the case...that woman who accused Elliot's father of..." Casey stopped, trying to find words. "I went to them, I told them it was going to court, how was..."

"Case, look," Trevor said. "Elliot's father didn't do anything, and I proved it. Joe Stabler's entire squad was cleared of any wrong doing, that's all you need to know."

Casey pulled him back toward her. "Do you know if his father really did..."

"Casey, Joe Stabler had nothing to do with it," Trevor said. "The only thing Joe did that night was be a good friend, a good partner, and a good cop. Leave it alone."

Casey felt uncomfortable about it, but she nodded. She kissed him, and she asked, "How'd your meeting go?"

"Oh, wonderful," Trevor said, suddenly smiling. "Henshall said that if I keep doing what I'm doing, I could make partner in less than a year, and that would be...God, that'd be a dream come true for me."

"But marriage is still not on your to-do list," Casey sighed.

"Wow," Trevor scoffed. "Most girlfriends would be proud of that."

"I am proud of you, Trev," Casey said, "But I'm also getting tired of coming second to your job. We've been together for almost four years, you proposed and every time we talk about taking the next step, you tell me that you can't have any distractions if you wanna make partner. You can't plan a wedding and keep up with your case load. You can't..."

"I swear to you," Trevor interrupted. "If, by the end of this year, I still haven't gotten that job, I will take some time off and we will plan the biggest most elaborate wedding New York has ever seen."

Casey sighed, she nodded, and she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm tired," she said. "I'm going to bed."

Trevor watched her go, and once the bedroom door was closed, he picked up the phone. He dialed a number, and he waited. "Olivia? Trevor. Good, good. You? And the kids? Listen, is Elliot there?" He waited for a long moment, and then he said, "Elliot? Hey, man. Listen, I need Dean Porter's address. Oh, I, uh, I got his dad out of trouble with some stupid corporate shit and I have to send him the bill, I have his dad's address, but not his. I figured you would know. You know how it is."

Trevor wrote down the address, and he said, "Thanks. Really." He hung up and looked down, and a slow smirk spread across his face. "Henshall and Langan," he mumbled to himself. "Has a nice ring to it."

* * *

"Kathy?" Joey called from the kitchen. "Kathy!"

Kathy walked into the room, tired and pale. "What, Joey?"

Joey put the milk back into the refrigerator, then looked up at her. "I'm taking the girls over to Elliot's tomorrow."

"What?" she spat.

"He's their uncle, Kathy," Joey said, rolling his eyes. "He's my brother. And Olivia really is like a sister to me. Christ, it's been almost three years since you blew up at everyone over dinner, and you might not want to see them but I do."

Kathy folded her arms. "The girls don't..."

"The girls love their cousins," Joey interrupted. "I've been taking them to church with me every Sunday, and ya know who we sit next to? Olivia, Elliot, and the kids. Fuck, you don't even sleep in the bed with me anymore, so why would I expect you to willingly spend time awake with your family?"

Kathy's eyes widened. "The separate beds were your idea, so don't pin that on me!"

"I told you I can't...you said you wanted an open marriage. I didn't," he said, sighing. "I'm not gonna sleep with you if other people are. I'm your husband, I should be it, Kathy."

Kathy closed her eyes. "I know. You're right." She shook her head and said, "You know, nothing really happened, ever. I went on a few dates, nothing physical...I just...I need to prove to myself that you were the one I wanted to be with. Forever. I made a mistake last time, and I didn't want to do it twice."

"And?" Joey asked harshly. "What did you find out?"

Kathy looked at him, tears in her eyes, and she said, "You are."

* * *

Olivia closed the door to her daughter's room slowly and softly, hearing the tiny click. "She's asleep," she whispered, knowing Elliot was behind her.

"So are Dickie and Eli," he said, kissing the back of her neck. "Mommy and Daddy are totally alone."

She chuckled and turned around. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she asked, "Do you miss the days when we could just rip off our clothes and go at it right here, up against the wall?"

"You mean Saturdays?" he said with a smirk.

She slapped him in the arm and said, "I'm serious. Do you ever regret having the kids so young? Regret the life we have? You, me, twin six year olds, and a two year old little monster?"

"Liv, baby, I don't regret a single moment of our life together." He kissed her and whispered, "Everything is so perfect, so beautifully perfect."

She smiled as he kissed her again, and she laughed when he bent his knees a bit and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

He deepened their kiss as he kicked open their bedroom door, and he bumped it closed behind him. He dropped his wife onto the bed and peppered her with kisses. He tugged on her shirt, but before he could get it off, the phone rang.

"Mother fucker," she groaned.

"Well, I was trying to be one, yeah," he quipped, reaching into his pocket for his phone. "Stabler," he spat into it. He pressed his lips to Olivia's neck. "Mmm-hmm, yeah," he said to the person on the phone. "Right. Okay. We'll be there." He ended the call and kissed her deeply. "We have to go," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "What else is new?"

"I'll call the sitter," he said, moving off of her and picking up his phone again.

Olivia ran a hand through her hair. "At least we were home to put them to bed," she sighed, getting up and walking out of her bedroom. She hoped Alex would be at the scene; she had a lot of questions for her.

**A/N: What happened to Alex's baby? Where are Fin and Melinda? The man who raped Jeffries was Dean's father? Is that why they owe the Stabler's a ton of favors? These questions exist, but the answers don't. At least, not until chapter two. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: When a child can see that you're in love, maybe it's time to admit it to yourself.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

**MARCH 30, 2007**

Olivia felt someone touching her, bringing her out of a beautifully wonderful dream. She moaned a bit in protest, fighting off the desire to wake up as long as she could. She flinched, and her eyes flickered open, and she saw him, staring at the ceiling, running his fingers through her hair. "What's the matter?"

"Huh?" He looked down, looked into her eyes as she peered at him from his chest, and he said, "I didn't mean to wake you."

She scooted up, further toward his face, and she said. "Well, you did, but what's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"I know this shouldn't bother me, but…with what we do for a living, the fact that we have our own little family, I…I don't even like either of them, ya know? It's just…"

"Hey, El, I'm not in your head. You have to clarify, here," she teased, kissing his cheek.

He sighed and looked at her again. "Kathy's making my brother's life miserable because she is holding this ridiculous grudge against you. Alex gave up her child, and won't even admit she even had one, because Chester hasn't spoken to her in years. Casey has been engaged forever, Trevor's a dumbass, Fin and Melinda are shuffling their son back and forth for every other weekend and holidays, and I don't understand how the two of us, who should have the most problems, don't have any at all."

She took in what he was saying, and she gave his cheek a gentle nudge with her nose. "We beat down all of our real problems in high school," she said. "We came to terms with a lot of things, and dealt with all of the drama and heartache when you were in the service. And we do have our share of obstacles. If anyone find's out Cragen is your real father, you're gonna have to transfer. If anyone higher up finds out we're married, and we're partners, then we're all screwed. It's just…I think we're stronger, you and I."

"Stronger how?" he asked, pulling her in for a kiss with a grin on his face.

She chuckled and said, "Emotionally, physically." She looked into his eyes and said, "We bonded, really bonded, a long time ago. We decided years ago that we were always going to be enough for each other, and what's between us…El, it's more than love."

"You're really deep, Benson," he said with a soft kiss. "I needed to hear that, baby. Thank you."

She smiled and kissed him again, and she said, "It was the truth. We're not spitting up, or afraid to have kids, or postponing the inevitable because we got it all out of the way already." She tilted her head and said, "We were just strong enough to stay together through all of it."

He ran his lips over her forehead and whispered, "I can't even imagine ever doing that to you. What Chester did to Alex, I mean. She told him and he didn't care. He told her it was her problem, I mean, that's your child! How can you not want your own child?"

She cupped his face, looked into his eyes, and she whispered, "Not everyone is like you. Not everyone has a heart of gold, or the need to provide for the ones they love no matter what, El. You're special, baby."

"You don't think that's why she's being so hostile, do you?" Olivia asked. "You don't think she's still holding a grudge against us for being together, ignoring her feelings for you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, shaking his head. "That was years ago. She's probably just dealing with things, missing her kid, ya know?"

She kissed him, and she nodded.

" I love you," he whispered. "So much."

She kissed him and sunk into him, melting into his warm body. Before things got too heated, though, they heard the distinct cry of their two-year-old son. "Eli," she whispered.

"I'll get him," he said, kissing her. "And I'll make sure the seat's down before I put him on the potty."

She laughed, and watched him roll out of the bed, pull on a pair of sweatpants, and wander out of the room through the boys' door. She sighed contentedly, wondering how she had gotten so lucky.

* * *

"Come on, man," Brian said, looking at Elliot with wide eyes. "Just tell me!" He threw a Rubix cube into the air and caught it, leaning against Elliot's desk.

Elliot shook his head. "Knock it off, you're gonna miss and that thing is gonna fall on my head, and then I'll have to kill you."

Brian made a face at him. "Just tell me," he said, tossing the toy back on his partner's desk.

"No," Elliot said, rolling his eyes. "I haven't told you anything about this since college, man. Leave it alone."

"Just tell me if she screams," Brian pleaded. "Or if she ever gets controlling. Does she like to get rough? Has she ever used a whip?"

"We are talking about my wife!" Elliot snapped, slapping Brian in the arm. "Will go sit down and do some work, please?"

"Yes, Cassidy," Cragen said, coming into the room. "Listen to Stabler." He gestured to the two people next to him, one of them was Olivia, and said, "Two member's of your unit have just sat through one of the most grueling review sessions of…ever. Thank them for suffering through it so you wouldn't have to."

"Did we get nailed with anything?" Elliot asked, catching Olivia's eye.

She nodded. "Unsolved rape, staute's almost up. We have a week. It's being pushed because the victim is the daughter of a cop."

Elliot blew out a breath, made a face, and said, "Damn."

Brian looked at Cragen. "Who's the vic?"

Cragen folded his arms. "Margot Haggirty," he said. "Reported a rape three years ago. Munch, you remember her, right?"

"How could I forget?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "Led nowhere, no DNA, no nothing." He looked at Cragen. "How are we supposed to find out anything new now?"

Alex walked in, then, answering his question. "You'd better figure it out. Fast. McCoy is on my ass like a hemorrhoid about this case, so I'm gonna be on yours." She folded her arms and said, "Why am I not seeing anyone getting up to re-interview the victim?"

"Because it's nine-thirty in the morning," Elliot offered.

"And we have another case we're working on," Olivia told her. "We're calling everyone involved and setting up interviews, Alex. We know how to do our jobs."

Alex scoffed. "Yeah, we'll see." She sat in an empty desk near the back of the squad room, and she said, "I'll just wait here until you decide to get off of your asses and do something."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other, and they each narrowed their eyes a bit. "Oh no," Olivia said, "She's not still holding a grudge at all."

"Shut up," he said, shaking his head as he picked up the phone to schedule their first interview with Margot.

* * *

Fin knocked on the door, his foot tapping in anxiety. "Come on, Melinda," he sighed.

The door opened and she was standing there, the six year old boy at her side. "Go with Daddy, Kenny," she said, nudging her son.

The boy ran into his father's arms, and Fin picked him up happily. "I'll have him back by eight on Sunday," he told her.

Melinda nodded. "Hey, uh, Fin? Have you given any more thought to…"

"We don't work, Mel," he said, shaking his head. "We try and we fail, and we try again and we fail again. We're good this way."

Melinda sighed and nodded, hating to admit that he was right. "See you on Sunday, then."

Fin nodded, then looked at his son. "You ready for a great week with Daddy?"

"Yeah!" the boy said, laughing.

Melinda watched them walk away, knowing in her heart that what he said was right, but not liking it any more than she did. She closed the door, moving back into her quiet, empty apartment. She sat down at the computer and finished writing the email she'd started. "Please," she sighed as she clicked the send button, "I need this job."

* * *

Casey was waiting in the living room, staring at the door as it opened.

Trevor walked through. Saw her, and smiled. He went to give her a kiss, but she moved. "Okay," he said. "What did I do now?"

"You lied to me," she hissed. "And to my best friend." She threw a stack of stapled papers at him. "I work in the DA's office, did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Trevor sighed. "Casey, I was just doing my job! I didn't implicate anyone, and it wasn't my job to find the rapist, it was my job to clear Joe Stabler and his unit."

She blinked. "You still knew. You knew who did it, and that poor woman is in jail for falsifying reports, when she didn't…."

"She's out, her record was expunged, I took care of it," he said. "I'm a defense attorney, not a sadist."

"You know the man you're protecting…you know his son is friends with Elliot, right?" she asked. "You know this could cause a lot of damage, Trevor, how could you…"

"Exactly," he interrupted. "Which is why no one is gonna find out. You understand that you can't tell anyone about this, don't you?"

She tilted her head, and she smirked. "I also found out that you were paid off," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Someone wrote a check for your firm, with your name on it, from the DA's office. Twelve thousand dollars. Are you gonna tell me about that? Or are you gonna keep that from me, too?"

"Casey, don't do this, honey. I…"

"You don't trust me," she interrupted. "And I'm learning, more and more every day, that I don't trust you." She looked down, she slipped the ring off of her finger, and she said, "I've been waiting for something that you never had any intention of following through with, haven't I? You were just keeping me on a short leash so I wouldn't be in the way of your little, creep, lawyer games."

Trevor's eyes widened. "Casey! No!" he shouted. "That's not it at all! I didn't tell you because…" he blinked and he sighed. "Because that money is going to the hall I rented."

Casey's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I booked a hall," he said, looking into her eyes. "I got the date you wanted, and I went to The Venetian, and I wrote them a check. See, Case, I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I did it because we needed the money. I want to marry you, Casey. I don't ever want you to think I don't. "

She looked at him, and her eyes filled with tears. "You…we're getting…"

"September fifth," he whispered, cutting her off. "Yes we are."

She threw her arms around him and he sighed as he held her tight. He needed to figure out how he was gonna make this work, and how he was going to keep Casey from finding out the wedding was costing them a lot more than twelve thousand dollars.

**A/N: Fin and Elliot run into each other, and the Stablers have a family dinner, with a surprise guest. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:****This has finally been revisited. Sorry for the terribly long wait. ****Fin and Elliot run into each other, and the Stablers have a family dinner, with a surprise guest. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf own SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

"Come on, kid," Elliot said to his oldest son. "Pick one out. We gotta get home to mommy and your sister and help with dinner."

Dickie, the boy, stood staring at a line of short baseball bats. "Which one, Daddy?"

Elliot reached out an arm, the one that wasn't holding his youngest child. "It's only for little league, bud. Anyone of these would...here...this one." He grabbed the handle of one that resembled his first bat. He held out to his boy with a smile.

"It's so cool," Dickie said, taking hold of it. His six year old eyes blinked and he looked up at his father. "Teach me how to swing?"

Elliot laughed, giving Eli a boost further up on his chest. "You got it, pal."

Dickie ran toward the counter with the bat in his little hands, laughing. Elliot followed him, keeping close behind, but before he reached the register, he felt someone tap him on his shoulder. He turned, and his face screwed up in confusion. "Hey."

"Hey, man," the man said, slapping Elliot on his back. "How ya been?"

"Good, good," Elliot said, clearing his throat. He reached into his wallet and one-handedly paid for Dickie's new bat, as only a father could do. "How about you?"

Fin tugged on his son's hand, keeping him from running around. "Can't complain. Is that...that's not Eli."

"Yeah," Elliot said, poking his tongue into his cheek and nodding. He gave Fin a small smile, and he gave Eli a small kiss on the forehead. "This is Eli."

"He got so big," Fin said, grinning. "Hey, little guy," he chuckled, offering a large finger to Eli, who wrapped his little hand around it. "How old is he now?"

"Two," Elliot said, looking at him pointedly. "Ya know, you're his Godfather, you should really..."

"I know, I know," Fin said, sighing. "I will be there for him. For all of you. I just need to...things in my life aren't perfect, and I wanna be more stable so I can be there for ya, man. I just need time. Sorry."

"Daddy," Dickie cried, pulling on his pant-leg, "Can we go?"

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Yeah, buddy. Fin, listen, we need to get together. You need to see the kids, and I know Liv would love to see Kenny." He paused to give Fin's son a high-five.

Fin looked at Elliot, smiled, and said, "Yeah. Definitely." He knew that they would be seeing a lot of each other, sooner than anyone thought.

* * *

"Liv?" he called into the house, closing the door behind him and watching Dickie run into his room, shedding his jacket and sneakers along the way. He rolled his eyes and yelled, "Liv? Baby?"

"In the kitchen!" he heard, her voice yelling from the other end of the house.

He dropped Eli into his playpen in the living room, took off his little jacket, and picked up Dickie's tossed items on his way into the kitchen. "Hey, honey," he said brightly, kissing her.

She smiled against his lips, but said, "Did you just let your son go into his room with a baseball bat?"

His smile turned and his eyes widened. "Shit."

She laughed as he ran out fast, then turned, returning to the task of stirring the sauce. "Cragen called," she yelled to him.

"Yeah?" he yelled back as he wrestled his son's new toy away from him. He walked into the kitchen, triumphant and proud, waving the small bat in his hand. "What'd he want?"

She looked up, a wooden spoon just at her lips. She slurped a bit, testing the flavor of the red gravy, and as she shook more oregano into the pot, she said, "He was asking about your mother. I...I didn't know what to tell him, so I just...I told him you would call him back."

He rolled his eyes. "Jesus, I can't fucking..."

"Watch it," she warned, her eyes darting to the open door to their daughter's room. "She actually said 'shit' the other day, I had to convince your sister she was trying to say 'ship."

He chuckled, kissed her again, then pulled the spoon out of her hand. He dipped it into the sauce and lifted it, blowing on it. "I just can't talk about that. About her," he said. "Not to him." He let his tongue dart out and lap at the spoon, and his eyes rolled back. He moaned.

"Good?" she asked, smiling.

"Fantastic," he said, kissing her softly. "You need me to do anything?"

She pointed to the refrigerator. "Put the salad on the table, get the soda and dressings out of there." She tilted her head. "Kiss me again."

He smirked. He leaned in, kissed her slowly, and moaned softly. "When they leave tonight, you're gonna get more than just a kiss."

She winked at him, giving his ass a light slap as he turned toward the fridge. "So are you."

He growled as he grabbed the food and mumbled, "I swear to God, they'd all better eat fast."

* * *

"Can I help you?" Cragen asked, looking up at the man in a suit jacket and jeans, heading toward him.

"Is this Special Victims?" the man asked, raising a badge. "You're Cragen?"

Cragen nodded. "What is this about? Who are you?"

"Detective Chester Lake," the man said, handing his badge to Cragen. "Brooklyn SVU." He scratched his chin as he looked around. "You've got an Elliot Stabler and an Olivia Benson on your squad, right?"

Cragen rose, his nostrils flaring. "Look, Detective, I don't appreciate Madison sending you down here to bug me about my team. If he wanted them, he should have..."

"Whoa," Lake said, holding up both hands defensively. "My captain didn't send me here. I just...I went to high school with them. I'd like to see 'em. Thought this would be the best place to start."

"Sorry," Cragen sighed. "Just used to Brooklyn breathing down my neck about transferring...wait...Lake. Chester Lake. Why do I know that name?"

"I wanted to transfer to this unit," he said. "After Detective Jeffries...um..."

"Yeah, well, she had her reasons for leaving," Cragen interrupted. "For being asked to leave." He tilted his head. "You're request slip...you said you wanted to be in the SVU because of..."

"Yeah," Lake said, nodding. His eyes were dark, telling Cragen he didn't want to talk about it. "But you gave the job to someone in narcotics." He cleared his throat. "Stabler and Benson? If you have an address or phone number, I could..."

"Yeah, sure," Cragen said, getting up. "I'll be right back." He walked toward his office, not to write down a phone number, but to use one. He needed to talk to Elliot. He had a question. And a warning.

* * *

"Can I..."

"Honey, think," Elliot said, interrupting his daughter.

Little Lizzie looked up, biting her lip. "May I have the cheese, please?"

Elliot smiled, nodded, and reached over for the shaker of fresh parmesan. He handed it to Lizzie and watched as she carefully shook it three times.

"No more, no less," she said with a grin, handing the shaker back to her father.

"God, bro, your kids...they're so...good." Joey shook his head. He then stuck his tongue out at his own daughter. "I think if Maureen ever said 'please' or 'thank you' to one of us, I'd shoot myself in the..."

Forks clinked. There was silence.

"Sorry," Joey said, his eyes closing. "I'm so sorry, I just said it without thinking, and I..."

"It's fine," Elliot said, though his tone was darker than it was before. It had been almost two years to the day since the man he'd always known as his father shot himself. It had been almost two years, exactly, since he'd even spoken about it. It was a subject that was never broached, because he blamed himself.

Kathy, now awkwardly eyeing the flowers in the middle of the table, said, "This is...this is really good, Olivia."

"Geez, Mom," Kathleen snapped. "It's already awkward, now you're trying to compliment Aunt Liv to ease the tension?"

Maureen, the oldest child at the table, snorted. "Way to make it ten times worse." She looked over, then. "It really is good, though, Aunt Liv."

Olivia smiled at the girl, instantly feeling pangs of hurt and hate. She'd been through a lot, at such a young age, and like Elliot, she had once thought a different man was her father. The man sitting in silence at the end of the table.

Brian Cassidy took a sip of his wine. "Well, uh, hey. At least this is better than the last dinner we all had together."

A few chuckles and moans of remembrance filled the room. Olivia slowly ran her hand through Maureen's long blonde hair and sighed. Part of her wished she could help somehow, give her a more secure life, but it wasn't her place, and never would be.

Maureen looked up at her, and she smiled with half-closed eyes. She whispered, "I love you, Aunt Liv."

"Uncle Elliot and I love you, too, sweetie. Very much," Olivia returned in a whisper.

Smiling at them, Joey pushed his glass toward Kathy. "Could you pour me another glass, hon?"

Kathy reached for the bottle, gripping its neck, when the doorbell rang. "Who else..."

"Jesus, bro, you didn't invite Mom again, did you?" Joey asked, holding his glass for his wife.

"After what happened last time?" Elliot questioned, getting up to answer the door.

Olivia chuckled as she watched him go, then tended to her kids, making sure they were getting more food in their mouths than on their clothes, and wiping the mess off of little Eli, in his high chair. She kissed each kid's hand as she cleaned it off, and then each forehead.

Kathy sighed, taking this in. As much as she resented her, she had to admit Olivia was an amazing mother, and incredible aunt, and great cop. "Hey, Olivia, I really think it's time we..."

"Guys," Elliot said, walking back into the room. Silence and confused faces were his answer. "Um...I'm sure you all remember..."

"Hi, Case," Olivia said, tilting her head.

Kathy gave a small wave, Joey nodded at her, and Brian said, "How's it hangin', Novak?"

Casey smiled at everyone and then looked at Olivia. "Can we talk?"

Olivia looked around, gave her kids a long once-over, then got out of her seat. She kissed Elliot softly, and whispered, "I'll be right back."

Elliot nodded as his wife left the room.

"You, uh, do you have to do that?" Brian asked, sipping his wine. "I mean, every time one of you enters or leaves a room, you kiss, and it's not like you're gonna be apart for..."

"Never leave someone you love without telling them you love them," Lizzie said, biting into a piece of bread. She chewed, swallowed, and said, "You never know when it'll be the last time you see them. It's one of our rules."

Kathy's hand moved over her heart. "How precious is that?"

Joey nodded, holding back a sob. He wished he lived by that rule. Then he wouldn't feel so guilty about his father.

Brian, though, leaned forward. "You gave them a really...that's just morbid."

"Hey," Elliot whispered, "With what we do for a living, I'm surprised you don't feel the same way. I love my kids, I love my wife, and I'm not gonna let a single second go by without telling and showing them. I am not taking any chances, here."

Brian noticed, as did Kathy, that something flashed in Elliot's eyes as he said that last phrase. Fear. He nodded and took a gulp of his wine, suddenly uncertain if he wanted to take chances himself.

Olivia and Casey walked back to the table, laughing and cheerful. "It's not a problem, Case. Sit, please."

"Pretty big table," Casey said, taking the last empty seat.

"Pretty big family," Elliot said, his mouthful of pasta.

Dickie looked up at him, mildly offended. "How come you get to talk with your mouth full and we don't?"

The table broke out into a fit of laughter, Elliot swallowed before telling his kids that what he had done was rude and he was sorry.

Casey looked around, then down at her finger. The light from the ceiling fan bounced off her ring and she hoped that whatever family she would have with Trevor would be filled with this much love.

She also hoped that, after she told Olivia the rest of what she had come to say, she would still have her and Elliot to share it all with.

**A/N: What else does Casey say? What does Kathy want? An interesting day at work for Elliot and Olivia, and someone knows their secrets...someone who will make them pay to keep them safe. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: What else does Casey say? What does Kathy want? An interesting day at work for Elliot and Olivia, and someone knows their secrets...someone who will make them pay to keep them safe. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story belongs to TStabler**

"You two get anywhere on this?" Cragen said, holding up a file, looking from Olivia to Elliot. "Haggirty?"

Elliot avoided eye contact with the captain as he said, "That case has been closed for two days." He stapled a few sheets of paper together and said, "Our job's done. We're waiting on Cabot now. Arraignment hasn't been scheduled yet, and there's only so long we can keep that asshole down in…"

"Wait," Cragen interrupted. "Alex hasn't scheduled his arraignment yet?"

Olivia shook her head as she rifled through a stack of papers on her desk, looking for something. "Nope."

Cragen raised his voice. "And neither of you…"

"I called McCoy," Elliot snapped, lifting his head and finally meeting his captain's eyes. He glared, realizing he still could never think of him as father. "Twice. I've also left three messages on Cabot's machine. You think I'm really gonna let this guy fall through the cracks? Again? No way in hell."

Cragen moved forward. "Look. Kid, I was just asking if…"

"You were just questioning my integrity and work ethic!" Elliot yelled. "After that phone call last night, all concerned and caring, you're gonna do this? Today? You're really something else!"

Olivia looked at him, tilting her head and staring at him. "Calm down," she said. "I think you need some air, El."

"Yeah," he barked, sliding his chair back and getting up. "Good idea." He eyed her, then shot a hard look at Cragen before leaving the room.

Olivia was still, silent, until she, too, got out of her seat and followed after him. She made it to the hallway and saw a door swinging shut. She ran for it, grabbing it before it closed, and stepped into the small space. She saw his chest heaving, his fists clenched, and she stared at him for a moment.

"I can't be around him," he said, his jaw tight. "Not after last night. How could he call and just…"

Olivia shrugged a bit. "You're his son, El, he…"

"No, I'm not!" he yelled, turning to her. He had tears in his eyes. "He is not my father."

"Oh, El, baby," she sighed. She reached out hand, brushing it lightly over his shoulder, and knew instantly that it was a mistake. Her body hit the wall, his hands pulled and grabbed and squeezed and caressed every inch of her.

"You," he whispered, "You're my everything." He nipped at her neck and moaned softly.

She closed her eyes, knowing she was his solace, his sanctuary, and she let him lose himself, losing herself in the process.

* * *

"So, that's it?" Fin asked, looking at his partner. "That's all you're gonna say to me?"

"You're leaving," she returned with a shrug. "Goodbye is all I can say."

Fin shook his head. "I'm only gonna be on a different floor," he said sadly. "I'm leaving narcotics, not you."

She looked up, then, hope glinting in her eyes. "You…you still want…"

"Of course," Fin said, nodding. "My son loves you. I think…I think I might…love you."

She tilted her head as she stood, taking two steps toward him. "Yeah, Fin?"

He nodded again, smiling. "Yeah, Dani."

* * *

"I don't like this, Joey," Kathy said, looking at her husband. "I really don't."

Joey sighed. "Well, too bad. We've had this planned for months, and the kids are looking forward to it. You don't wanna come, then don't, but that will only make the kids lean on Olivia even more."

Kathy grunted as she tossed a few towels into the suitcase on the bed. "Why did you have to buy that stupid cabin, anyway?"

Joey laughed. "Elliot bought it, I paid for half it when…when we started getting close again. He said it held some kind of emotional value for him and Liv, so when they could afford it, they bought it."

"Can you even ski?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I snowboard," he said, nodding. "And the kids will love learning how to ski, and they have an ice skating rink, baby. I promise, this week will be good for us."

"Oh, yeah," Kathy said sarcastically. "Me and Olivia Benson in the same place for more than two hours. Real good for us."

"You said you wanted to drop it, you wanna talk to her and move on, then you do it." He looked at her. "Unless you only said that because Elliot was there."

"No, I…I meant it," she said, biting her lip.

"So it's settled," Joey said with a grin. "When we get there, El and I will take the kids to the shop to get new skis, and you and Liv can talk."

"Wonderful," Kathy sighed. A week in Colorado with her family, Elliot, and Olivia was the last thing she thought would be good for her.

* * *

"Oh, God," Olivia moaned, her legs wrapped around Elliot as he thrust into her hard. Her arms were stretched over her head, gripping the shelves on the wall of the closet. "God, El, baby…" she trailed off as she moaned louder.

"Shh," he hushed with a chuckle. He had one arm snug around her as the other was pressed tight against the wall. He moved fast, hard, slamming into his wife without pause. "Damn, baby."

She dropped her head back., hitting it into the wall. "Oh, my…" she bit her lip, stifle the small scream that wanted to escape. She felt him pulling out, and she felt him push back into her so deeply she felt like she would rip apart. Stars swam behind her closed her eyes as she felt every inch of him burrow into her and slip out, creating intense, beautiful friction.

"Fuck, baby," he hissed, feeling her tighten around him, a feeling he never grew tired of and always relished in. "Hold on for me. Please…"

"Oh, shit, El," she whimpered, her gasps growing quicker, her moans getting higher. "I can't, baby, I can't…you're too…oh, my God!"

He held her, growling out her name as she clamped around him, and he thrust out of and back into her tightness. "Liv," he mumbled, dropping his head with a groan. He nipped at the skin of her neck and felt her digging her nails into his back. He seethed when her fingers scraped up his back and her legs pulled him closer to her as her body tensed. "Oh, Liv…shit."

Boxes fell off of the shelves beside them, the metal clinked threatening to come unscrewed, until finally the shaking stopped, Elliot stilled inside of her and bit down on her shoulder hard, frustrated growls ripping through the air being muffled by her flesh.

Panting, he lifted his head and brought his lips to hers. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you so…"

She kissed him again, silencing him. "I love you." Their eyes lingered on each other's for a moment before she was dropped lightly to the ground.

They dressed in silence, cleaned up the mess they had made in the storage unit, and opened the door. Both sets of eyes widened, though, as they saw who had been just outside, and the smirk on the woman's face told them she heard everything.

* * *

"Casey!" Trevor yelled as he slammed the door.

Casey closed her eyes and walked slowly into the living room. "Right here."

Trevor's nostrils flared as he tried to breathe slowly. "What did you do?"

"I did…what?" she asked, confused, playing innocent.

"You told him!" he snapped, tossing his briefcase onto the couch. "I was days away from making partner! Do you have any idea…"

"I told Olivia," she said. "Olivia told Elliot. As far as I know, they haven't told anyone else. Trev, Elliot took it pretty hard. He was already broken up about his father's death, and now he has all of these questions about him and…"

"I don't care!" Trevor yelled. "None of that is my problem, Casey! I got a phone call from Dean Porter, who had a long talk with his father. They're reopening the case now! Joe Stabler is dead, I've got another batch of files I have to look through now, and I don't have time for this! All of that hard work…do you know what this could cost me?"

"You," she hissed. "It's always all about you, isn't it? Is there a shred of humanity left in you, Trevor? Or is it all about the money now? These are your friends' lives you're screwing with."

"Oh, please," Trevor snapped, rushing toward the kitchen in need of a cold beer. "They were never my friends, Casey, they were yours. Shit. Today was pure hell for me, Casey! First, I get a call about Olivia's father and now this."

Casey turned white. Her breath hitched. "What?"

Trevor's eyes slid closed. He just put his foot in his mouth, big time.

* * *

Alex eyes Olivia and Elliot up and down, licking her lips and smirking. "Well, well, well," she mused. "Anyone else have that feeling of Déjà vu?"

Elliot shook his head, embarrassed but not surprised. "Of course," he mumbled. "It's always you. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was on my way in to tell you that you're both due in court next Monday at noon. I had to pull strings to work around your vacation. I was doing my job," she said, "Which is more than I can say for you."

"Cabot," Elliot said, his eyes narrow, "Just get out of…"

"You two sounded so much hotter than you did in high school," Alex interrupted. "That must have been incredible, huh? It sounded so rough…almost violent. Has working in Sex Crimes given you any ideas, then, Stabler?

Elliot scoffed. "Go to hell," he snapped.

"Hey, hey," Alex chuckled. "If I were you, I would start being very nice to me. Wouldn't want Cragen finding out where his two prize detectives go to blow off steam."

Olivia growled. "Alex, I swear to God if you…"

"Easy, Benson," Alex said, folding her arms. "I'm not stupid, and I'm not out to ruin your lives. I am, however, smart enough to know that you will do anything to keep your secrets safe. All of them."

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, all of…"

"Elliot's paternity, the truth about your relationship, what just happened here," Alex listed. "You two will go to great lengths to make sure no one finds out, am I right?"

Elliot sneered at Alex. "What the hell do you want, Cabot?"

Alex smirked. "Just keep your phones on," she said. "Both of you. You'll know why soon enough." She gave one last, long look at Elliot, trailing her eyes down his body and moaning. "Damn." She shook her head and walked away, heading into the squad room.

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other, taking a simultaneous breath. They followed Alex, into their bullpen, and hoped whatever she wanted wouldn't be too terrible. They heard her chuckling, still, and they knew she still had a wicked grin on her face.

That grin faded, though, as Alex saw who was sitting on an empty desk. Her body stiffened, her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. "Chester?"

**A/N: What will Alex do? How will Liv and El react to seeing Chester? A week in Vail, CO with Kathy and company, in the cabin where Elliot and Olivia have great memories…coming up!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: What will Alex do? How will Liv and El react to seeing Chester? And they're off for a week in Vail, CO, with Kathy and company, in the cabin where Elliot and Olivia have great memories**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

The silence in the room caused panic to rise in everyone's chest. Olivia looked at Elliot, he looked back at her with just as much worry in his eyes.

Chester got to his feet, slowly moving toward the crowd that had stopped just near the door. He held out a hand to Elliot, smiling. "Stabler, man, it is good to see you."

Elliot awkwardly nodded. "Yeah, pal. You, uh, you, too."

Chester moved, then, to Olivia, and pulled her into a hug. He held on too tightly for too long, and inhaled deeply, as if trying to breathe her in. "You are a sight for sore eyes, Benson."

"Uh, yeah," Olivia said, gently pushing Chester off of her before Elliot intervened. "It's…great to…what are you doing here?"

Chester grinned. "I'm in your unit," he said. "Well, not yours, but Brooklyn. SVU. I need your help on a case. I thought Cragen called…"

"He did," Elliot said. "It doesn't make this any less of a surprise." He waited, looking at Chester, and he sent a short glance toward Alex.

Chester, taking the hint, took a breath and looked over toward the blonde lawyer. "Cabot," he said.

Alex bit her lip, the first sign of vulnerability she'd shown since her return. "Hi," she said coldly.

Chester took another step toward her. "Where is he?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Alex looked away and shook her head. "Who?"

"Who? Are you kidding?" Chester asked, his voice growing raspy. "Where is he?" he repeated.

"I don't know…" she trailed off. "I didn't take her home, Chester. You didn't want her, I couldn't…I can't be somebody's mother. He's with his parents."

"His parents? We're his parents!" Chester yelled.

Alex turned sharply, pointing a finger at him. "No," she snapped. "We aren't. You didn't want to have anything to do with him, or me, I haven't even heard your name mentioned in years! What did you expect me to do? I went on with my life, Chester! I did what was best for him and myself!" She opened her mouth to say something else, but thought better of it. She shook her head, turned on her heels, and left.

Another moment of extremely awkward silence passed, then Chester cleared his throat and turned back to Elliot. "So, uh, this case…"

"Talk to Munch," Elliot said. "We're on vacation as of midnight tonight. We won't be here to…"

"I can wait until you get back," Chester interrupted. "It's a cold case, so…there's no rush." He waited for a split second before nodding once and leaving, hoping to get more information from Alex about his son.

* * *

"Kathy," Joey said, lugging suitcases out to the car, "We're only going to be there for a week. How many shoes do you really need?"

"I don't know, Joey," she replied with a yawn, opening the passenger side door. She looked in the backseat and smiled at her sleeping daughters, then she grumbled. "Why do we have to leave at one in the morning, anyway? We couldn't have waited until tomorrow?"

Getting settled in the driver's seat with a yawn of his own, Joey said, "They just got off work, Kathy. They thought it would be good to get there as soon as possible, so we can really enjoy the week. I agree with them."

"So how long is this car ride gonna take?" Kathy mumbled, leaning back.

Joey laughed. "To get to the airport? About twenty minutes."

Kathy's head popped up. "Wait…we're…"

"Flying," he said nodding. "Yeah."

Kathy looked at him for a moment, then started laughing. "Oh, good lord, I can't believe I thought…"

"You thought that because they drove the last time, we'd be doing it?" Joey asked, one eyebrow arched.

She tilted her head and folded her arms. "I know you hate to fly," she said. "I was worried about you."

He looked at her, and his inquisitive glare became a relieved smile. One day, he'd believe she was over his brother. Just not today.

* * *

"Are you excited?" Elliot asked, turning down the road onto the expressway.

Olivia laughed. "Yeah." She sighed contentedly and reached for his hand, cupping hers over it on the gear shift. "That cabin holds a lot of memories for us."

"First time we met Munch," he said, a smirk on his face.

She squeezed his hand. "Among other, more exciting firsts," she said, leaning closer to him. She kissed his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Taking a glance in the rear-view mirror, he smiled. "We lucked out," he said. "Our kids are…amazing. You're incredible, I mean…life for us hasn't been easy, or perfect, but we…"

"What are you on about?" she asked, picking her head up.

He sighed and looked at her for a second before turning back to face the road. "I was thinking," he said. "We've been through so much together…and before…you know my childhood was shitty, and yours was just as horrible. I had less than nothing, Liv."

"I wasn't exactly Ivanka Trump," she joked.

He chuckled, then he said, "No, baby. I'm serious." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "In this world, there are the 'haves' and the 'have-nots," he said. "I've always been a 'have-not.' Until I met you." He glanced at her and smiled, his eyes shining at her. "You made me the richest man in the world. You loved me unconditionally, you gave me three beautiful kids, and you are the only person in my life who has never, not once, doubted or judged me, and I…"

She stopped him with a finger to his lips. And she felt the tears slowly slipping down her cheeks. "We aren't even there yet, and you're already pouring on the romance."

He kissed the pad of her finger, and she moved it away from his lips. "Just being honest," he whispered. That whole thing with Chester and Alex…it made me realize how lucky I am. I'm with you, I'm with our kids, and I am never going anywhere. I promise."

She kissed him quickly as the car came to a stop at a red light. "I love you, Stabler."

"Right back atcha, Benson," he returned with a wink. He saw the look she was giving him as the car moved again, and he chuckled. He kissed her again and said, "I love you, too, Stabler."

"Better," she teased. "I cannot wait to get to that cabin, and get into that bed," she said, curling around his arm.

He kissed her forehead and got into the left lane, putting on his blinker to turn onto the airport entrance ramp.

She felt him stiffen up as the sign came into view. "You gonna be okay? I know you aren't a big fan of flying."

He nodded, gripping her hand and the steering wheel a bit tighter. "I'll be fine as long as you and those little angels back there are with me." He kissed her forehead again, taking a deep breath and hoping he could keep that promise.

* * *

"Are you coming to bed anytime soon?" Dani asked, staring at Fin, who was standing in front of his closet.

Fin shook his head. "I can't show up there tomorrow in jeans, babe," he said. He reached into the closet and pulled out a suit. "And this makes me feel stuffy and…"

Dani stopped him. "Fin, just wear what you feel comfortable in, and what you can run in. Stop worrying about it and…"

"Stabler wears suits," he said, cutting her off. "Do you think…"

"You do not have to compete with Elliot Stabler," Dani said, getting out of the bed. She walked over to him and pulled on his arm. "Get in bed," she said, giving him a shove. "You're gonna be fine."

Fin looked up at her from the bed and smiled at her. "Ya think?"

"I know," she said, crawling over him. She cuddled close, wrapping herself around him, and pulled the comforter over them. "Goodnight."

"Night," Fin said, but he wasn't planning on sleeping. His mind was racing. He dreaded walking into the squad room in the morning, and even more he dreaded working with Olivia and Elliot. He was thankful he would work for a week without him, and he hoped his nerves would calm before they returned.

* * *

"I can't believe you carried them," Olivia chuckled, watching Elliot buckle the twins into their seats on the plane.

"You carried him," he countered, pointing to Eli, sleeping soundly on her shoulder.

She chuckled. "He's three!" She slipped the small child into the aisle seat across from her own. She buckled him in and kissed his forehead.

"See, Mom," Kathleen said. "You didn't have to wake us up. You could have..."

Kathy raised an eyebrow and interrupted. "I wasn't going to carry you," she said. She smiled at her daughter and said, "Ask Uncle Elliot to carry you off the plane if you…"

"No way in hell," Elliot said, settling into his window seat next to Olivia. "You okay with him over there, Mo?"

Maureen, his oldest niece, smiled and nodded. "Yeah. He's cool." She brushed Eli's hair back and looked at her father, in the seat in front of her. "Dad, I want a baby brother."

Joey and Kathy looked at each other, then turned around to see Olivia and Elliot cuddling and kissing in their seats. "Yeah, Joey," Kathy said. "This is gonna be a great vacation."

**A/N: How do they spend their first night in Vale? A night of drinking gets them to spill some secrets, and someone makes a huge mistake! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Another day in the beautiful life of New York's finest.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf own SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

After laughing hard and putting down his glass, Elliot kissed Olivia on the cheek. "God, I needed this. After that flight, you have no idea how much I need a drink. This was a good idea, Kathy."

Kathy laughed and mock-bowed. "I try," she said. Then she folded her arms. "I got one. I have never fantasized about my best friend," she said, watching the shot glasses around her rise and fall. "Hold on, Elliot," she said, pointing a finger. "You have had sexual fantasies about..."

"If I told you how often I gave myself carpel tunnel while thinking about Liv, you'd never shake my hand again," Elliot laughed. "You didn't stop to think that she's been my best friend since tenth grade, did you?"

Kathy shrugged. "I thought you meant Fin," she said, shuddering. "And what about you, Little Miss Perfect?"

"Put it this way," she said, "Before I was actually with Elliot, I took him to bed every night." She wiggled the fingers of her right hand and dropped her head to Elliot's shoulder.

"That had to make for some interesting conversations," Joey said. "When did you tell each other that?"

Elliot grinned. "Oh, she already knew," he laughed. "I've never been able to hide my, um, excitement, around her."

"Unless we were in that horrible math class," Olivia said with a harsh chuckle. She gasped then, her voice went up a notch. "Or that time we caught Kathy kissing Father..."

"All right, all right," Kathy snickered, pouring more shots around the table. "Shut up, all the kids are asleep!"

Joey picked up his shot glass, looked at it for a moment, and said, "I have never done it on a kitchen counter, a washing machine, or in an elevator."

He chuckled as Olivia and Elliot took their shots.

"Wow," Kathy scoffed. "Is there anywhere you two haven't done it?"

Olivia licked her lips. "Um...we've never had sex on a mount..."

"Yes we have," Elliot interjected. "Camping trips."

"Then I guess not," Olivia laughed as she reached for the bottle of whiskey, and she poured it into her and Elliot's glasses. "I have never called out the wrong name in bed."

"Damn," Kathy hissed, taking her shot. And after a moment, Joey brought his glass to his lips and downed the fiery brown liquid.

Olivia made a face. "Oh, ouch," she teased.

Elliot smirked. "Bet ya fifty bucks I know what name you actually did call out, Kathy," he said, wagging his eyebrows.

"Olivia, you married an asshole," Kathy spat, pouring more shots for her and Joey.

"Says the woman who was once married to Brian Cassidy," Olivia shot back. She looked over at Elliot and winked. "Your turn."

He pushed his shot glass away from him a bit, and he said, very seriously, "I have never lied to my significant other. About anything."

Kathy glared at him. "Are you serious right now?" she asked, reaching for her glass. "Dick," she spat, swallowing her drink. She shook her head and grimaced. "God, that's strong."

Olivia nudged Eliot and whispered, "You're cruel."

"Are we forgetting the shit she's put us through?" he fired back, his eyes gleaming. "I wanna lay all the cards on the table tonight, clear things up, because I'm not spending a week with her if..."

"I can hear you, ya know," Kathy said, pouring herself another shot. Her eyes narrowed and she said, "I've never been hospitalized by my own parents, moved in with my high school boyfriend, and then had my horribly tragic life story documented for publication in a legal textbook because my psychotic mother couldn't lay off the sauce or keep her hands off of me."

Olivia gritted her teeth as she bit the bullet and took the shot.

"That was low," Elliot said. "Even for you."

Kathy gave him a glare and said, "Maybe it's time for a new game."

"Maybe it's time for bed," Olivia answered. "The twins get up at nine, even if I don't wake them up, so if we can get two hours..."

"Chicken, Benson?" Kathy questioned, her smile wicked.

Olivia stiffened. "What did you have in mind, Kathy?"

"Confessions," Kathy said, looking at Elliot.

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Shit," he hissed. "We used to play this after football games. It's...I've seen best friends hate each other after playing this, it's not a good idea right now, Kathy. You're drunk and..."

"Oh? What, are you afraid you'll let something slip that will ruin your perfect marriage?" Kathy interrupted, a cheeky look on her face.

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Not at all," he said honestly. "I'm afraid you might."

Kathy shrugged and poured a fresh round of drinks. Olivia tugged on her sleep shirt and sat back down, scooting closer to Elliot. Elliot wrapped an arm around her and took a deep breath, and Joey glared at his wife, who had to have ulterior motives for playing this game.

"The rules," Kathy said, "Are simple. You have to confess something about the chosen topic. You cannot lie, and if you refuse to say anything, we assume you would be lying, and you take a shot." She held up her glass and said, "You also take a shot if your answer affects someone else in the room. You take a shot if the answer got you into trouble, and you take a shot if you get annoyed with someone else's answer."

"This is simple?" Joey asked, raising both eyebrows.

"I got it," Olivia said, rolling her neck. She leaned in a bit toward the center of the table and said, "Pick the category, Kathy."

Kathy smirked, she eyed Elliot up and down and said, "Sex."

Joey rolled his eyes. "You wanna hear confessions about their sex life? You're a glutton for punishment when you're drunk."

Olivia bit her lip. She thought for a moment, then she smirked. "I have never faked an orgasm."

Elliot beamed proudly, then said, "I think you gotta be annoyed by that, huh, Kathy?"

Kathy grumbled something as she took her shot.

Elliot moved the bottle of whisky toward the blonde so she could pour a fresh drink. "Sex…"

Kathy shook her head madly. "No! See, you get a different category with every turn. You have to tell us all something…about…what you really did in the Marine Corps."

Clearing his throat, he looked away from Olivia and closed his eyes. "I hate you, Kathy."

"No, you don't," Kathy said with a wicked grin. "That's your next confession," she added with a chuckle. "Go ahead, Elliot. Tell her."

"Tell me what?" Olivia asked, narrowing her eyes.

Biting his lip, he said, "It wasn't…I could have…after that thing with your mom…I could have gotten out. I could have come home."

Olivia's eyes went wide, her jaw dropped. "You…are you…fucking kidding me?"

Elliot flinched at her tone. "I stayed because I made a commitment, Liv, and when Trevor and Dean found me a way out, I took it, didn't I? I didn't want anyone to think I was chickening out, or abandoning…"

"I had to go through…" Olivia stopped. "No, ya know what, it's over, it's in the past. We're fine. whose turn is it?" She took a shot, then slid Elliot's glass toward him. "Drink. That fucking annoyed the shit out of me, and you're definitely in trouble."

"Liv," Elliot said, almost whining, "Come on. Don't…"

Olivia interrupted him. "Whose turn?" she snapped.

"Mine," Joey said. "Gimme a good one," he nodded toward Elliot.

He shook off the burn of the shot sliding down his throat, and he coughed a bit. "Family," he said without thinking.

Joey took a deep breath, steadied his glass in his hand, and said, "I don't trust my wife. Never have. Never will." He downed his drink, not even hazarding a glance at Kathy.

"So then it's your turn?" Olivia hissed, looking at Kathy.

"Seems that way," Kathy said, taking hold of the bottle of whiskey.

Olivia chuckled, an evil and menacing sounding laugh. "Elliot," she almost whispered.

"What?" he said to her, his eyes glassy, as if he was about to cry.

"No," Olivia laughed. "That's her category. Admit it, Kathy! You honestly think you're gonna get Elliot to sleep with you this week?"

Kathy went white. Her smug grin faded, she licked her lips and looked up at Joey. "No," she said. After a pause, she reached for her glass, and raised it to her mouth. "But I'm gonna try like hell." She downed the shot, ignoring the fierce look from Joey and the horrified expression on Elliot's face.

Joey got up then, looking down at her. "Olivia was right," he said. "We should go to bed." He walked toward the room he'd be sharing with Kathy, and the silence that fell over the rest of them was thick.

Elliot got up, then, and said, "Look, Kathy, we're all a bit hammered, here. I'm gonna forget you said that, I'm gonna...I'm gonna forget a lot of what was said here tonight, and I'm gonna go to bed." He looked over at Olivia. "You coming?" He reached for her hand, fearing she wouldn't take it.

Olivia sighed and got up. She took his outstretched hand and walked with him into their master suite, the one that held so many wonderful memories, leaving Kathy alone to think about what had just happened.

* * *

Once the door behind him was closed, Elliot pulled off his shirt and moved toward the bed. Silently, he pulled the sheets down and crawled in, turning over, away from Olivia.

"You're mad at me now?" Olivia asked, surprised, as she got into the bed next to him. "After finding out you could have been with me…and you weren't…you've got the balls to be pissed off at me?"

"You didn't have to do that," he said. "You could have been the bigger person, but you..."

"Are you...you're the one who..." she shook her head and huffed. "Forget it. Goodnight." She rolled away from him, then, and tugged on the quilt.

There was a moment of tension, a brief moment where she believed they would be going to bed angry with each other. Then she felt his arms wrap around her and pull her close to him.

"She did kind of deserve it," he whispered into her ear, dropping a soft kiss to her neck. He felt her relax into his arms, he heard her relieved sigh, and he kissed her again. "I love you," he said softly.

She rolled over, looped her arms around him, and said, "I love you more." She kissed him again, then chuckled softly. "What are you doing?" she asked, feeling his hands running down into her flannel pants.

"Reliving the best night of my life," he said with a wicked smile and a wag of his eyebrows.

"God, you're drunk," she laughed, "And your brother is in the next room. With Kathy."

"Then be quiet," he said simply, pulling down the material. He grunted when she gave in and kicked them off completely.

She moaned as she felt his fingers slipping through her folds, teasing her to wetness. "The kids…"

"We've never woken them up," he said, giving her body a swift yank.

She gasped a bit as he pulled her underneath him. "God, I forgot what this is like with you when you're plastered."

He laughed and nuzzled her nose. "Have you?" he questioned, dropping a soft kiss to her lips. He pushed into her with one smooth thrust, they moaned together and gripped each other's hands. He rested his head against hers as he began to move, his foggy brain not thinking about anything but her and his physical need.

* * *

"You don't trust me?" Kathy spat, flopping into bed next to Joey.

Joey scoffed. "You just gave me a reason not to!"

"I was just trying to get under her skin!" Kathy yelled. "Clearly, it worked."

Joey turned over to face her. "You told me you wanted to make things work with her this week."

"Not tonight," she hissed.

"Obviously," he snapped back, his head slapping against his pillow.

Silence between them made them both nervous, but they stayed quiet. Kathy shifted on her side of the bed, then she narrowed her eyes. "Do you…do you hear that?"

"I'm trying not to," Joey said, his eyes closed. "Kind of sick, if you think about it. He's my brother."

Kathy leaned her head back, closer to the wall. "Oh, my God! They sound like…like…porn stars!"

Joey chuckled. "They sound like they're trying to keep it down, actually. You're straining to listen them, which…which is just…insane."

"Why don't we ever sound like that?" she asked, scooting her body closer to his.

"Because," Joey said, "To sound like that…to have that level of intimacy, you need a whole lot of trust, and a lot of love. We've got the love, but…"

Kathy pressed her lips to his. "I'm not going to try anything with Elliot. Honestly, honey, I just wanted to get to Olivia."

Joey looked up at her. He sighed, he nodded, and he kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her and gripped her tight, but only time would tell if trusting her now was a mistake, or if every doubt he'd had about his relationship with her would be realized.

**A/N: A day of skiing with the kids, a moment alone with Olivia and Kathy, and an accident forces Kathy to make a life-changing decision. Chester calls Elliot, giving insight into his case, and Alex sends Olivia a message. Coming up. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Another day in the beautiful life of New York's finest.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf own SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

"It's so friggen cold out there," Olivia mumbled, shaking the snow off of her jacket. "Come on honey," she said, holding the door to the ski lodge opened for her kids and Elliot.

"That was a rush, huh?" Elliot said cheerfully, putting Eli down and then brushing snow off Dickie's shoulders. "You have fun?"

Dickie smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the snowboard, Dad!"

Lizzie hugged him, the, and said, "That was really cool."

Kathy rolled her eyes at the interaction between him and his kids, and she folded her arms. "We came in here to warm up and get something to eat. Can we find a table?"

Olivia scoffed. "You can go right ahead," she said with a bit of a nippy attitude. "When we're done taking care of our kids, we'll find you." She knelt down to Eli and shook him playfully, then unzipped his jacket.

"Don't you think you should get a vasectomy or something, Elliot?" Kathy snipped. "You got your hands full enough as it is, don't want any more accidents."

"None of my kids were accidents," Elliot whispered harshly. "Can you say that?"

"What's a sectomy?" Dickie looked at his father. "Is it like a puppy?"

Lizzie gasped and clapped. "I want a sectomy!"

Olivia held back a chuckle and said, "No pets. Not right now, honey." She turned to look at Kathy. "And we're not done. Not by a long shot."

Kathy rolled her eyes. "Great," she mumbled. "Just keep adding to your perfect little family."

Joey glared at her. "You just can't stand to see them happy. It's been years, Kath. Ten. Get over it!" He stalked off and shouted something about finding a table over his shoulder.

"Nice one, Mom," Kathleen spat. She rolled her eyes and walked after her father.

Maureen sighed. "It's okay, Mom," she said. "I'm jealous of them, too." She patted her mother on the shoulder and followed after her sister.

Kathy sighed and looked back at Elliot, who was collecting his kids. "Let's go, guys," he said, giving them a nudge, keeping his hand clasped around Eli's. "Easy tiger," he said, giving the boy a gentle tug. He laughed and looked at Kathy. "This little guy will run to Japan if I let him go."

Kathy smirked. "Maybe he can't stand his mother, either," she said.

Elliot closed his eyes slowly. "I'm done trying with you," he whispered. "You coming Liv?"

"Yeah," she answered, "Just, uh, give me and Kathy minute. Order me a hot chocolate."

He nodded and kissed her cheek, then gave her a warning look before taking his kids to find Joey and the girls.

Olivia took a step closer to Kathy, her arms crossed. "I know you hate me, Kathy. You have since high school. We're both adults now, we're married with kids, and this little grudge you've got…"

"Little grudge?" Kathy interrupted. "Olivia, everything in my life was perfect until you came along. With Elliot...you walked into his life and everything else…everything else came second."

"What does that tell you, Kathy?" Olivia asked, dropping her arms. "Look, I know you think he was pitying me for most of that first year, but…why can't you accept that he loves me?"

Kathy narrowed her eyes. "Elliot was popular, hot, from a prominent family in the city," she said. "You were this little nothing girl, from nothing, who was supposed to become nothing. He deserved so much…"

"More," Olivia finished. "He still does. But I love him, Kathy. I love him, and our children, and I am doing everything I can to be enough for him." She shook her head. "This needs to stop. Look at your kids, your husband, they're all mad at you. Upset. They resent you for making them feel like they're not good enough because everything is coming second to Elliot. When is it gonna be enough?"

Kathy bit her lip. "I don't know." She sighed and said, "You're right, okay, I know you're…you are very happy. And…for reasons I will never understand…he is very happy."

"Do you love Joey?" Olivia asked, her head turning toward the table the guys had chosen. "Are you happy?"

Kathy looked at Joey, watched him laughing with his daughters, and she smiled. "I do love him, yeah," she said. Then she shrugged. "I just…I guess I spent so much time being angry and bitter over…over you and Elliot…I didn't let myself be happy." She leaned up against the wall, still watching her family, and she said, "I do have it pretty good, don't I?"

Olivia smiled. "Joey and Elliot are brothers, Kathy. Full-blooded, cut from the same mold. Elliot's got a bit more guts and a bit more ink, but they've got the same amount of heart. In fighting for Elliot's you've broken Joey's."

Kathy looked at Olivia. "Elliot always said you were brilliant," she said. "He's right."

Olivia smiled, nodded once, and walked toward the table. She slipped into the spot next to Elliot, hugged her daughter, and for the first time in a while, she took a slow deep breath. It was over.

* * *

"Casey," Trevor sighed, standing by the bedroom door. "Don't do this."

Casey looked at him and tried to smile. "Trev, I love you, but I think I need someone who's more concerned about me than a paycheck."

"I am!" Trevor yelled.

"Then tell Henshall you're not taking Jeffries case," she said, throwing things into a bag on the bed. "Tell him you don't want to drag your friends through…"

"I can't do that," Trevor said. "Dean and his father…"

Casey held up a hand. "Then you can make partner as a single man," she zipped her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. "I'll see you around, Trevor. In court."

"Wait, what?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"I'm representing the NYPD," she said with a smile. "The department is fighting her on this, and there's evidence that she's lying. I hope you're prepared for a fight." She handed him the ring that had slipped off of her finger, and she kissed him sweetly. "I know what's important to me, Trev. My friends, my integrity, truth, and real justice. Money…money's temporary. When it's gone, you'll remember what it cost you."

Trevor stood there and watched her walk out of the bedroom, out of the apartment, and out of his life. He flopped helplessly onto the bed and wondered where he'd gone wrong.

* * *

"Eli's asleep," Olivia said, walking into the living room. "Dickie's reading his new Superman comic, and Maureen and Kathleen are braiding Lizzie's hair. It's so cute."

Elliot moved so she could sit beside him on the couch. "Good," he said with a smile, kissing her. "We picked a movie."

Joey sat on the sofa next to Kathy, handing her the bowl of popcorn he'd brought out of the kitchen. "This was a pretty good day, I gotta tell ya." He scooped up a few kernels and popped them into his mouth. "Watching the kids go down that bunny slope was too cute, and Eli on that sled…"

"God, he's getting so big," Elliot interrupted. He wrapped an arm around Olivia and pulled her closer to him. Just as the credits began to roll on the movie, though, his phone rang. "Of course," he mumbled. He reached out to grab it, looked at the caller ID, and frowned a bit. "Wow," he said, kissing Olivia's cheek and getting up.

Olivia tilted her head as she watched Elliot walk into their bedroom and she rose to follow him. She stopped just outside the door, standing with folded arms as he took the call.

"Hey," he said. "Oh, uh, we'll be back on Saturday so…wait, you think what? That's the case you need our help with?" He sat on the edge of the bed and said, "You can't work it, so you're…we haven't seen you in…" He stopped. Something the person on the other end said made him stiffen. "Yeah. Yeah, Lake, I would. As soon as we get back. I'll call. Bye."

"Was that Chester?" Olivia asked. She walked into the bedroom and met him as he stood up.

He nodded. "The case he needs help with…he thinks his son was kidnapped." He ran a hand through his hair. "He told me he talked to Alex, and it was a closed adoption. She didn't even get to see him, they took him as soon as he was born. He found a picture on his unit's database, and he swears…"

"Does Alex know?" she asked, interrupting.

He shook his head and hugged her tight. "He needs help because he can't work the case. He told me I would be doing the same thing if it was one of my kids."

Olivia kissed him. "No," she said. "You'd be out there looking for him yourself." She dropped her lips to his neck again. "You'd kill anyone who even thought about hurting…"

"So would you," he whispered, kissing her. He pulled her tighter and took a breath, and said, "Nothing, I promise you, will ever happen to you or the kids."

She smiled. "I know, El." She leaned in and just as their lips touched again, they heard shouting from the other room.

"Hey!" Kathy yelled. "You two got enough of that last night! Get in here and watch the movie we're paying ten dollars to watch!"

Olivia and Elliot chuckled, kissing once more, and headed back out into the living room. The day had been wonderful, and they were looking forward to a nice evening. But now, Elliot had that phone call in the back of his mind, which would lead to constant worry and a deeper desire to protect his family.

* * *

"How are you doing there, Tutuola?" Cragen asked, slapping the newest member of his team on the back.

Fin looked up. "Good, Cap, but really, call me Fin. It's easier."

Cragen folded his arms, tucking the envelope in his hand under his arm. "I'll give you a nickname when you earn one."

"What do you call Benson and Stabler?" he asked, grinning.

"Benson and Stabler," Cragen answered. "Munch, you give Tutuola here everything you got on the Meyers case. When you catch him up, take him to the range, show him out to fire lie a…"

"I know how to shoot a gun, Captain," Fin said, narrowing his eyes.

Cragen smirked. "Not like an SVU detective," he said. "Tricks, hints, things that'll keep you alive. You think you saw shit in Narcotics? You ain't seen nothin' yet, Kid."

Fin chuckled. "Is that my nickname?" His smile faded when he didn't get a happy look from Cragen. "Sorry," he said, clearing his throat. "I, uh, I'll shoot whatever way you want."

"Yeah, you will," Cragen nodded. He looked over at Olivia and Elliot's empty desks, then turned around to Brian Cassidy. "What are you working on?"

Cassidy looked up sharply. "The Berkin…"

"Put it on hold," Cragen barked. "I need you to do me a favor."

Cassidy stood and said, "Yeah, sure."

Cragen handed him the envelope, and he looked narrowly at him. "Go down to the DA's office, give this to Casey Novak. Make sure you hand it to her, only to her, do you understand?"

"Got it," Cassidy said, sighing and clutching the envelope. "Be right back."

Cragen watched him go, hoping the envelope wouldn't be opened by anyone who shouldn't know what was inside.

**A/N: What's in the envelope? The outcome of Jeffries case, another day at the cabin, and another night as well. Next.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ****La vita è bella****, ****ma****i suoi momenti ****tragici ****sono ****gloriosi (Life is beautiful, but its tragic moments are glorious. Italian proverb)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf own SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

"Kathy, watch where you're swinging that thing!" Joey yelled, ducking before being hit with his wife's snowboard.

Kathy rolled her eyes. "Watch where you're standing." She paused, then, catching a glimpse of Elliot and Olivia, locked in a kiss, as their kids had a snowball fight behind them. She titled her head, wondering how Olivia was managing to hold her youngest child's hand and kiss Elliot that passionately at the same time.

"Mom," Kathleen said, folding her arms. "We have cable, ya know. You don't have to stare at them. They're not Brad and Angelina."

Kathy let out a soft hum. "Might as well be," she mumbled. She turned to look at her daughter and put her snowboard on the ground. "Can I ask you a question, Katie?"

Kathleen nodded, walking closer to her mother. "What's up?"

Kathy dropped, sitting on her snowboard, and she patted the space next to her for her daughter. She watched as Kathleen sat, and she rested a hand on her knee. "Do you think..." she cleared her throat. "Have I been a good mother?"

Kathleen raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Have I?" Kathy asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Mom," Kathleen said, putting her head on her mother's shoulder, "Yes. You have. You've been a bit...weird...at times. And none of my friends' moms have crushes on their husbands' brothers, but aside from that..." she picked her head up. "You're a great mother, really. You're just...maybe you're not such a nice person."

Kathy scoffed. "What does that even...how do you..."

"You're rude to Aunt Liv," Kathleen interrupted. "She's been amazing, and you treat her like Dobby the House Elf! You're hung up on something she did in high-school, that she didn't even do on purpose. She told me everything, and Uncle El kissed her first, so if you're gonna blame someone, blame him."

Kathy rubbed her eyes. "So, because I don't like one person..."

"And you're rude to Grandma," Kathleen said, cutting in again. "I know she's got issues, ones I don't fully understand, but she doesn't deserve to be yelled at when she does something silly. She's just trying to..."

"Okay, I get it," Kathy sighed. "I guess I didn't realize that you and your sister were old enough to see that much into things." She kissed Kathleen's forehead. "I love you, you know that, don't you?"

Kathleen nodded. "Of course I know," she said with a small smile. "But it doesn't hurt to hear every once in a while." She grinned widely and said, "I bet Daddy would love to hear it every so often, too."

Kathy smirked and looked out at Joey, who had joined the snowball fight with Maureen and the other kids. He looked happy, and he looked adorable. She chuckled and said, "I know he would."

"So go tell him," Kathleen said with a nudge. "And while you're at it, throw some ice over Uncle El and Aunt Liv. They need to cool off, they're melting all the snow!"

Kathy laughed heartily and hugged her daughter. Then she moved, struggling to get up. She made a few grunting noises before turning back to Kathleen. "A little help for your old mom, huh?"

Rolling her eyes, Kathleen stood up and pulled her mother to her feet. The two walked over to the rest of their family and joined in the snowball tossing, both secretly aiming for Olivia and Elliot, who kept kissing, smiling against each other, as each ball of snow burst against them.

* * *

The mood of the room was tense, and Fin and Munch were silent as they stared at the door. "Man," Brian Cassidy said, checking his watch, "What is taking so long."

"Langan," Munch said. "For a rookie lawyer, he certainly knows how to make long-winded closing arguments."

Fin chuckled. "I'm sure Novak ain't keepin' things short, either," he said. "She never knows when to shut up."

"You know Casey?" Cassidy asked, turning to him.

"Yeah," came an answer. But it wasn't Fin's voice.

The men in the room turned, Casey Novak was standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face and a folded blue paper in her hands.

"I know Fin," she said, "Very well." She took a few steps forward and said, "And my exceptional speaking skills came in handy. Case is closed, NYPD and Captain Cragen have been cleared of any misconduct in light of the fact that the man accused is deceased, and the case has been cold for years." She handed Fin the warrant in her hand and said, "This is for you. Cragen said I should give it to you, since..."

"Elliot ain't here," Fin finished for her. His eyes, though., were glued to her legs. They traveled slowly up her body and landed on her twinkling eyes. "You look good, Novak."

She winked at him and said, "I know." She leaned closer to him and said, "Roosevelt Hotel. Ten thirty. I'll meet you in the lobby."  
He raised an eyebrow. "What about..."

"Single," she said firmly, with a nod. "All you need to know, right?"

Fin grinned. "Right," he said.

"Well, if any of you need me, you know where to find me," she said, louder, as she headed back out the door.

Munch whistled and looked at Fin. "Someone's getting arraigned, tonight!"

Fin chuckled and licked his lips. "Maybe," he said. He flipped open his warrant, so wrapped up in the possibility of being with Casey again that Dani completely slipped his mind.

* * *

"Alex, come on," Chester said, knocking again. "Open the damned door!"

Alex, on her couch, stayed silent. If she ignored him, she thought, he would assume she wasn't in her office and he would go away. She bit her nails, shook her leg, and closed her eyes.

"Alex," Chester said, "I'm not mad at you! I need your help with this! You want to find him, don't you?"

She was still and quiet as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Fine!" Chester yelled. "I will find him myself."

Alex heard his footsteps fading, and she looked down at the photo held tightly in her hand. She ran a finger down the face of the little boy and smiled. "Daddy's coming," she whispered, before slipping the picture back into her pocket and wiping her eyes. She had a case to prepare for, and crying wasn't getting her anywhere. It never has.

* * *

"Out like a light," Joey said, smiling, as he walked away from a bedroom door. He just read a story to the three girls, as Elliot read one to the two boys.

Elliot, meeting him in the hallway, said, "So are the boys." He slapped his brother on the shoulder and said, "Thanks for coming out here this week, man. It's been…a ride."

Joey laughed with his brother as they walked into the living room. "Yeah," he said. "Hey, you never told me why you bought this place. I mean, I know you two came here in high school, but…"

"Joey, bro," Elliot said with a longing look in his eyes, "This place…me and Liv….um," he scratched his head awkwardly. "The bedroom, um," he pointed and twisted his lips.

Joey grinned and folded his arms. "Are you trying to tell me that the first time you had sex with Liv was here?"

Elliot nodded, his lips pressed together. He shrugged a bit. "We have been coming out here every winter since the twins were born, and I just…I couldn't stand to have anyone else sleep in that bed. Or sit on that couch."

"Man!" Joey yelled, jumping a bit. "On the couch?"

Elliot laughed. "The couch, the floor, the walls, the shower, the hot tub in the back…"

"Oy! Man, I am gonna pretend I didn't hear that," Joey said. "I need to stay here for another three days!"

Elliot chuckled and sat on the couch, wrapping his arm around Olivia and wagging his eyebrows at his brother.

Joey shuddered as he sat on the smaller couch next to his wife. He, too, looped an arm around Kathy, and kissed her forehead. "You okay?" he asked.

Kathy nodded, then turned to Olivia. "I saw the pictures," she said, pointing a finger. "You always look so…"

"Happy," Olivia said, leaning back on Elliot's chest as they laid together on the couch.

Kathy shook her head. "Pretty," she said. "I just have one question," she said. "And please don't take offense, I'm really not trying to start anything. The scar…" she paused and gestured with her hand. "On your arm, there. Is that still from…"

"Well," Olivia interrupted. "Scars are permanent, Kathy. Yeah. It's from my mother. The fight you…" she stopped and closed her eyes. "Yeah."

Elliot kissed her forehead and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Thank you," he whispered.

She smiled and hummed lightly, turning to him. She kissed his lips softly and cuddled close to him. "Didn't do it for you."

He chuckled and twisted his body, rubbing up against her backside and moaning a bit.

Joey ran a hand down his face and said, "Dude, you've got a bedroom right there."

"We're not doing anything!" Elliot defended.

Kathy laughed and said, "Leave 'em alone, Joey. They're…cute."

All eyes were on her, and shocked faces met her. "Excuse me?" Olivia said, honestly believing she misheard her.

Kathy sighed. "You are, okay? Even I have to admit it. You are cute together, and you make a really…beautiful couple. You've also made some really beautiful kids."

"Thank you, Kathy," Elliot said, touched.

Joey leaned closer to her and whispered, "Yeah. Thank you."

Kathy turned her head just a bit. "I didn't do it for you." She kissed his cheek and turned again, with a sigh. She had to accept certain truths in her life, and thanks to her youngest daughter, she confronted and trusted in her reality. Now, she believed, she had to get her life to where she thought it belonged.

Right where Olivia and Elliot's was.

**A/N: They return home to find a difficult case in their hands, a new member of the team, and a friend who makes a terrible choice, and a terrible mistake. But…what happens after?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: ****Dai nemici mi guardo io, dagli amici mi guardi Iddio! Italian saying : With friends like these, who needs enemies. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to Tstabler©**

"Harder," she breathed, her mouth against his ear.

Her hot breath gave him chills, made him want to work harder for her. His hips slammed at a punishing pace, giving into her demand.

She licked the rim of his ear, nibbled lightly on his lobe, and said, "Harder."

He let out a low, rumbling, growl. He fisted her hair and pulled hard, bending her neck back and as he moved in and out of her brutally, he licked up the length of her, all the way to her ear. "Hard enough?" he asked, grunting.

"No," she breathed, her nails clawing at his back.

"Damn it, Liv," he spat, sliding one hand down to lift her leg up higher. "Can't really...move in here."

She yanked him toward her roughly, slamming her mouth over his. Her hands gripped the sides of his face, she moaned and whimpered into his mouth.

One of his hands was still curled in her brown locks, pulling with every thrust of his hips. The other was digging into her ass, keeping her balanced on the edge of the small sink. "People," he murmured in her ear, "Are waiting fort the bathroom."

She chuckled. "Let them wait," she whispered, clipping his lower lip between her teeth. "It's occupied."

He moaned, low and soft, right in her ear. He whispered, "You are so soft, baby. So wet. You amaze me."

That did it. She was jelly. Boneless. Putty in his strong, calloused hands. He turned a romp in the airplane bathroom into one of the most romantic experiences she had with him. But then, in a turn, he sunk his teeth into the bend of her neck and clamped down, piercing her skin and sucking as she gasped, bound between him and the wall, his body thrashing into hers.

He gave her soft, breathy, noises as he drove into her. "I can't..." a throaty growl swallowed his words.

Her head fell back as she tightened around him. "Oh, God, yes, Elliot," she panted, whimpering.

He hummed, his lips pressed tightly together, as he felt himself sliding with ease, her warmth growing wetter. He chuckled and slammed hard into a few more times, kissed her, and came with a held back grunt. He pecked small kisses over her neck and chin, down her chest, then back up to her lips as their labored breathes calmed. And then he laughed.

"What's so funny?" she said, wiping back his damp hair.

He shook his head and sighed, and then he kissed her again. "Flying actually ain't that bad."

* * *

"When is their flight getting in?" Cassidy asked, checking his watch. "I'm swamped, and if I have to hear Fin moan about having two girlfriend's one more time..."

"Hey!" Fin yelled.

Cragen rolled his eyes. "They land at five," he said. "I told them to come in at eight. They've got graveyard tonight. Phone calls, any late night..."

"Is that smart?" Munch asked, interrupting. "Jet lag sucks."

"They were in Colorado! Not India! The flight is barely three and half hours long," Cragen disputed. "Jet lag my ass," he scoffed.

Munch chuckled. "Yeah, I know how long the flight is, thanks," he said with a nod.

"I know you do," Cragen laughed.

Cassidy looked at both of them. "Okay, seriously, someone needs to take this Fullerman case. It's driving me insane, that story is just...and that girl is..."

"Can't handle it?" Fin cracked.

Cassidy looked at him. "Honestly, man, I don't even thing Benson could handle this one."

Fin narrowed his eyes. "Can't be that bad. And why ya'll callin' her Benson? She'd married to..."

"Do you wanna get them fired?" Cassidy hissed quickly. "Keep it down, man! The only people who know are you, me, Munch, and the Cap."

"Correction," Alex said, walking in with a large, brown envelope. "The only people who know are people who knew before they were hired to be in the same unit. As partners," she turned to look at Cragen, "Which should have never happened."

Fin rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Cabot?"

"Just handing this off to your honorable captain," she replied, holding the envelope out to Cragen. "DA requests you give this one to Stabler. And Stabler," she said with snark.

Cragen narrowed his eyes. "Alex, I swear, if you say anything..."

She held up a hand. "I'm not stupid," she said. "If they lose their jobs, I lose mine, because Lord knows you can't trust Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb over there to bring anything to court."

"I'm Tweedle Dee, right?" Cassidy said, folding his arms,

Fin shot him the finger and looked back at Alex. "Besides," he said, "You wouldn't so much as wear the wrong shade of pink if you thought it would somehow upset your precious Elliot."

Alex scoffed. "Please," she said. "I'm over that. That ship has sailed my friend, and the only thing I feel for that man is a vile sense of loathing."

"Right," Fin snorted. "That's why you named your son Elliot."

Her face fell. She looked at him and shook her head. "His name is...was...Anthony."

Fin raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."

Alex turned sharply to Cragen. "McCoy wants them both in his office for a briefing as soon as they get in. This takes precedence." She turned on her heels and walked out.

Cassidy looked at Fin with shocked eyes. "That was cold."

"You know her son's name," Munch said. "Aren't you working that case?"

Fin shrugged. "Thought I had it right," he said. "Talked to the adoption agency and they told me his name was Elliot Hawthorne."

Cragen tilted his head. "You never thought that the adoptive parents changed his name?"

Fin hid a smirk. "If you knew the story, you'd think she named her son Elliot, trust me."

"So you're thinking," Cassidy said, "That maybe it's not a coincidence."

Fin looked at Cassidy. "There's no such thing as a coincidence."

* * *

"Oh, my God," Elliot moaned, twisting and cracking his back as he plopped the luggage down in the foyer. "It is so good to be home."

Olivia walked through the door, carrying a sleeping Eli. The twins ran in after her, but she used her free arm to hold them back, "El," she said, looking around the room. "Did you even..."

"What the fudge happened in here?" he asked, taking slow steps.

Olivia smiled at his attempt at censoring himself in front of the children, despite the panic rising in her chest. Her smile faded when she saw the broken pictures on the floor, where they had been thrown. "Someone was in here."

"Looking for something," he said, brushing shattered bits of glass off of their wedding-slash-prom picture. He ran a finger over it, then put it back on the mantle, leaning it against a candlestick. His eyes widened then, and he ran into the bedroom.

"El?" Olivia shouted. "Elliot!"

He came back out to her, his hand over his heart, and he shook his head. "Still there," he said with a nod. "All of it."

She took a deep breath and looked at the turned out drawers in the coffee table. "So they weren't after money or jewelry. Our TV is still here. What were they looking for?"

He shook his head and looked through the drawers as Olivia moved her arm. "Go to your rooms, guys," she said to the twins. "Aunt Lauren is gonna be here soon to stay with you."

"Okay, Mommy," Dickie said, running.

Lizzie, though, looked up at her. "I can help you clean," she said.

Olivia smiled. "Thanks, sweetheart. You know where the garbage bags are in the closet right?"

"Yup," the little girl nodded.

"Can you go get one for Daddy?" Olivia asked, brushing a hand down her daughter's cheek. She watched Lizzie walk into the kitchen, and then turned to Elliot. "What's the verdict detective?" she asked. "What's missing?"

He looked up, biting his lip.

"El," she said, walking closer. "You're scaring me." She stepped over broken glass, shifting Eli in her arms. "What is it?"

"Someone took our passports," he said. "And our marriage license, the kids' birth certificates," he spat. "The deed to our house, our wills, the contracts we signed with the department, baby! That whole folder is gone."

"Call Cragen," she said, "Now." She watched Elliot pull out his phone, then walked toward the bedroom her boys shared to put Eli into his bed, hoping to ease some of her fear by being a mother.

* * *

Eight o'clock found them heading into the station, panic stricken and angry. "Excuse me," Elliot said, barreling into the bullpen, charging toward Cragen. "I called you. You! You sent an entire team of investigators to my house! My kids are scared out of their minds, people are rifling through..."

"Calm down!" Cragen yelled back. "I couldn't handle it, you know that! I did what I could! I also have a friend of yours coming in to run this, federally."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Thanks," he hissed, folding his arms. "Now can you tell me why this case is so important that it merits leaving my children alone with my sister and seventeen cops?"

Cragen pointed to Olivia's desk. "Everything's in there, look it over and get down to the DA's office. This is high-profile, so expect a lot of media attention."

Olivia furrowed her brow as she pulled the case file out of the envelope. "What's with the top secret...oh," she said, reading the name of their victim. "Oh, I get it now."

"What?" Elliot asked. "Who is it?" He walked over and looked over her shoulder. "Are you...are you serious?" he said, stunned. "Jesus Christ, didn't she just win an Emmy?"

Cragen looked at them harshly. "You say only what we authorize you to say," he said. "If anything is asked that you don't have a response to, you say..."

"No comment," Olivia said, nodding. "We know how this works."

Cragen took three more steps, closing the gap between them. "Read the second page," he said, soft.

Olivia eyes him carefully, then flipped the page. "Oh, my God, El," she said, a hand covering her mouth.

Elliot read the police report. "A week before the attack, Miss Swanson's home was broken into. Nothing of value was taken except a few personal documents, her birth certificate, her passport, and her freshly inked network contract."

"He chose her," Olivia whispered.

Cragen looked at her seriously. "He chose you."

* * *

"Casey," Trevor said, tugging on his jacket, "You're not being..."

"I would choose your words very carefully, Langan," she returned. "Get over it. You lost. In every sense of the word."

Trevor rolled his eyes. "Will you please, just listen to..."

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Casey held up a finger and moved to answer it. "Yes?"

"Miss Novak?" the woman asked.

"That's what it says on the door you just hit," Casey snarled. "Yeah."

The woman smiled and held out a hand. "Detective Dani Beck," she said. "Manhattan Warrants Squad."

"I know who you are," Casey said with a smirk. "What can I do for you?"

Dani handed her a folded packet of paper. "I was hoping you could tell me when these were filed?"

Casey chuckled. "They weren't," she said. "If they're still in your hands, then they haven't been..."

"Exactly," Dani interrupted. "I wanted you to see them, before I filed them. You know why, don't you?"

Casey sighed and looked at Dani with a grimace. "Yeah," she said. "He talks about you. Not a lot, and not in detail."

Dani nodded. "He talks about you, too," she said. "So at least he's being open about this. I'm not backing down, though, Casey."

"No, you're transferring into his unit," Casey said, making a hand gesture. "That's backing...up."

Dani laughed. "If we weren't fighting for the same thing," she said, "We could be friends."

Casey tilted her head. "Oh, trust me," she said. "This isn't a fight. Not a fair one, anyway. May the best woman win."

"Don't worry," Dani said, taking the transfer papers back from Casey. "I will." She turned to leave and ran head on into Elliot.

"Watch it," he said, moving out of her way.

Dani looked at him, her mouth ran dry. "So...sorry," she fumbled.

Casey chuckled. "What do you want, Stabler?"

"Liv and I need you to come down to McCoy's..."

"Stabler?" Dani interrupted, almost shouting. "Elliot Stabler?"

Elliot turned to her, nodding. "Yeah. Do I know you?"

"No," Dani said, "But you will." She walked, backward, still staring at Elliot. She suddenly realized why Fin was so intimidated by him, so threatened by Elliot. And she knew he had every reason to be.

**A/N: So do they get their papers back? Is Cassidy on the verge of leaving? Will Dani try to come between Liv and El? And will Fin, Chester, and the gang find Alex's missing son? **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: When you turn to face one friend head on, another is preparing to stab you in the back.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf own SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

"I already told you," a slimy-looking man in a dark trench coat said, "I don't know anything!"

"You would say that," Olivia said, folding her arms. "The guilty ones always do."

The man hit both hands on the table. "I don't know nothin' about that girl!"

Elliot lifted him out of the chair by the collar. "Then how did your fingerprints get all over the car she was found in?"

The man stuttered, afraid now. His feet were a centimeter off the floor. "Oh, uh, that was...I just...drove it?"

"Are you asking," Olivia began, smirking at the driveling loon in her husband's grasp, "Or telling?"

"Telling!" the grimy man said. "I drove it. But he paid me to, and I needed the money!"

Elliot threw the man back into the folding chair. "Who?" he spat.

The man was silent.

Olivia moved forward. Her eyes were narrow. "You can tell us now, or in court, when you're lookin' at death row."

From behind the glass, Alex, Cragen, and Sergeant Tucker from Internal Affairs, all stared at the power duo.

Cragen shook his head with folded arms. "Man," he scoffed, "If every detective I had worked like those two..."

"You'd be in deep shit," Tucker finished with a smirk. "They get in more trouble than some of the suspects, and half the time someone gets injured. He's a smartass, always has been, and she's damaged goods with a chip on her shoulder."

Alex put her hands on her hips. "You know them?"

"I know him," Tucker said. "I used to date his sister, a long time ago. That whole family is..."

"I'd be careful about what you say," Cragen interrupted. "Especially where they're concerned."

Alex grinned. "Yeah," she said. "Cragen thinks of Stabler as..."

"A son," Tucker finished. He was smirking.

Cragen turned to look at him quickly. He read the sealed documents he'd had delivered to Casey.

* * *

"What do you mean, gone?" Chester barked into the phone. "How can he be...you just had him in...I heard you, all right, I heard you. Yes. No, if you do, you need to talk to Detective Stabler. What...what do you mean, which one? There's only one..."

A knock on his door interrupted him.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'll have to call you back." He hung up and got off his couch, opening his door to reveal Alex, tears in her eyes. "What?" he asked, as if he didn't care she was crying.

She sniffled. "I...I wanna find him," she said, pushing into the apartment. "I watched Olivia and Elliot...yell at this grown man until he broke down...and now they have to go tell the parent's of that girl that they will never see their child again. I don't want...I don't want to be on the receiving end of that conversation, Chester."

He looked at her, saw the pain in her eyes, and he pulled her into his arms. "We'll find him," he whispered. "I promise you, Ally."

She choked a bit. He hadn't called her Ally in years. It was his way of saying he loved her.

"Fin?" Casey called, pulling her shirt back on, "Eventually, you're gonna have to choose."

Fin sat up, tilting his head. "You just got out of a serious thing with Langan," he said. "You're the one who said this was just sex until..."

"Until we felt something else," she interrupted, looking over her shoulder. "I...I never stopped loving you Fin."

Fin looked into her eyes for a minute, then he got out of the bed and grabbed his pants. He pulled them on as he bent over to kiss Casey. "I'll be back," he said.

Casey watched Fin walk out of her bedroom, and she prayed that he'd be coming back.

* * *

Her hands were tight as they held onto the rusty pipe above her head. Her body rocked as he moved, into her, out of her, against her, and with her. Her eyes were rolled so far back she swore she could see the wall behind her.

His left hand, adorned with a platinum band, was wrapped tightly around her right wrist and his right was cupping her face, his thumb running over her lips.

She moaned, she felt her back arch, and she turned her head the slightest bit. She snapped her mouth shut over his thumb and sucked.

"Mother of Christ," he hissed, the erotic sight before him setting him off. "Liv, holy shit," he groaned, dropping his head to her neck.

She whimpered, her body tightening, and just as she felt her orgasm rip through her, she bit down on his thumb, her scream silence by his thick finger.

"God, damn," he grunted, falling with her as her walls pulsed around him. He pushed his finger further into her mouth as he pushed himself deeper into her, feeling her teeth scrapes along his thumb and her walls slide along his length. He spat a curse and murmured her name, and then they both stopped moving.

She laughed as her arms fell from the metal pipe. She gnashed on his thumb once before letting it slip out of her mouth. "Feel better now?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

Elliot nodded, though his head was still buried in her neck. "Much."

"Good," she said. "Can we get out of the boiler room now?"

He laughed and pulled away from her, slipping out of her. "Yeah," he breathed, bending to pull up his pants. "You know how I get after a good interrogation."

"And you know how I get after a good fu…"

His finger pressed against her lips. "I told you, a long time ago…"

"I know," she whispered, kissing the pad of his finger. "Making love."

"Always," he whispered back, kissing her nose. Then he helped her dress and led her back up to their squad room, where they had two cases they couldn't solve waiting for their attention.

* * *

"Why are you in my office, Cassidy?" Cragen asked. "We've got a guy out there targeting…"

"I know," Brian said, squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't get her voice out of my head. I can't get the look in her eyes…that hollow, terrified, cold…"

Cragen interrupted him. "That's the job," he said. "You do it, you see those looks, you hear those voices, and you go home, you sleep with someone who makes you forget or you have a drink or two to make it all go away, you take pills so you don't dream, and you wake up in the middle of the night to hear more, and see more."

Cassidy shook his head. "I can't…I can't wake up to this every day." He blinked. "Fin's here now. I want his spot in Narcotics."

Cragen sighed and shook his head. "You're a good cop," he said. "I'm sorry to see you go, but I understand."

Cassidy nodded fast as he stood up. "Now, would be great, really."

Cragen narrowed his eyes. "Yeah," he said. "I'll call down." He watched Brian leave, and picked up the phone. "You just didn't have it in you, kid," he mumbled, dialing the numbers.

* * *

Joey ran a hand down his face, shaking his head. "Are you sure?" he asked, looking at Kathy.

"Pretty sure," Kathy nodded. She waited. "Joey, say something."

"So the whole time we were out in Colorado," he began, "You were skiing, you were running, shit, Kathy! You got drunk the first…"

She stopped him. "I told my doctor, he ran tests," she said, "Everything's fine. I promise."

He sighed and then he smiled. "I swear to God," he breathed, "It'd better be a boy."

* * *

Elliot pulled the door open slowly, poking his head through the crack in the door. "Tori?" he yelled, his other sister took the kids for the night. "You awake?"

His sister yelled, "In the kitchen."

Elliot, holding Olivia's hand, walked into his sister's house. "We appreciate this, kid."

Victoria smiled as she walked out of her kitchen and toward them. "I would do anything for you guys." She gave her brother a hug, and said, "You're safe here. For now."

"Kids asleep?" Olivia asked, changing the subject before she felt sick.

Victoria nodded. "An hour ago," she said. "You just missed 'em." She looked at them and said, "You guys are tired. Why don't you head to bed, too?"

Elliot nodded and kissed her cheek. "Thanks," he said, punching her in the arm. He smiled at his sister as he pulled Olivia into the spare bedroom, stepping gently over the three sleeping bags with little bodies snuggled in them.

Olivia and Elliot knelt and kissed each tiny cheek, then stripped their work clothes off. They did their best to keep their hands off of each other, knowing the repercussions of waking their children in that way.

Elliot pulled on a pair of sweats, and Olivia tugged on an old tee shirt. "So fucking tired," he mumbled, getting into the bed.

Olivia slipped in on her side of the bed, and just as she was about to cuddle close to him, she heard an odd noise. She eyed him carefully, then said, "El…did you just…" and then she coughed.

"Maybe," he said, smirking, rolling over and wrapping an arm around her.

"Oh, my God!" she laughed. "What did you eat? Get up and open a window or something, you're gonna suffocate our kids!"

He laughed with her and said, "It's a natural bodily function, and it will fade, I swear. I've…"

"You're lethal," she teased. "You always have been."

He kissed her and he said, "But you love me, anyway."

"I do," she said, kissing him deeper.

They were broken apart by a knock on the door, and Victoria walked in, holding the phone. "Guys, I know you probably just got comfortable…"

"Actually," Olivia interjected, "He just tried to kill me, so, no." She slapped him playfully and he kissed her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

Victoria held out the phone. "Your captain," she said. "He called here because both of your phones went right to voicemail. There's break in your case, or something."

Elliot got up, running and jumping over his son's sleeping form, and grabbed the phone. "Cap? What…oh…oh, wow. So then it wasn't the same…but why did he have…yeah. We'll be right down."

"Well?" Olivia questioned, watching him hand the phone back to his sister.

Elliot bit his lip. "They found our passports, and the rest of our stuff." He shook his head. "Guy was gone, but they don't think he was trying to hurt you."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Well, then what was…"

"They think he was just trying to get to you," Elliot said with a dim look in his eyes. "He had pictures of you, and of the kids. Newspaper clippings, a wall of…"

"Who?" Olivia asked, getting up.

Elliot shook his head. "Cragen didn't tell me, only said we should get down there as soon as we could."

Victoria answered before they could ask. "The kids will be fine. Go."

Elliot nodded his thanks and grabbed the nearest sweatshirt. He was ready to find out who had broken into his house, but nothing could prepare him for who it was.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Life is filled with little surprises. We are built to handle all of them.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf own SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked, shaking her head. "This just...this doesn't make sense. What do you mean, they were watching us? Why?"  
Cragen, looking down at a file, shook his head. "Some kind of promise," he mumbled. "It was his job to keep you safe, the feds...they think..."

"Someone's after us?" Elliot cut in, just as worried as Olivia.

Cragen handed the file to him. "Him," he said. "Agent Porter is convinced that this man is trying to get to you somehow, and was making sure that didn't happen."

"Why would he...I mean...we don't even know this guy," Olivia said, folding her arms.

Dean Porter, behind Elliot, said, "You should." He took a few more steps toward them and said, "That man, his name is Simon Marsden. Olivia, he's your brother."  
"I don't have a brother," Olivia said, her head popping up to meet Dean's.

Dean, chuckling, said, "Yes, Olivia. You do."

Elliot narrowed his eyes, unsure of whether or not he still trusted Dean, or if he really ever had. "How the hell did you find that out, Porter?" he asked, glaring.

Dean smirked. He had secrets he wasn't prepared to give away. "Part of the case, Elliot," he said. He looked at Olivia and saw, behind the fear and confusion, just a hint of joy, and knew that he had done the right thing.

* * *

"Took you long enough," Munch spat over the yellow tape as he watched Fin walking toward him.

Fin gave him the finger and chuckled. "Traffic in this city's a bitch, man," he mumbled, stepping under the yellow plastic. "What have we got?"

Munch led him over to the body. "Young, female, Asian, pretty badly beaten. ME found her cell phone," he said, "Shoved down her throat."

Fin made a face. "Guess the fucker didn't like her ring tone," he said with a shudder.

The ME stood, then, and said, "Have a little respect, huh?"

Fin's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Melinda?"

Melinda Warner pulled off a latex glove and rolled it up in the palm of the other gloved hand. "Hi, Fin," she said, snapping off the other glove. She nodded once at Munch and then walked away.

Munch looked at Fin with shocked and amused eyes. "Is there anyone in this city you haven't slept with?"

"Yeah," Fin answered, looking after Melinda. "You."

Munch scoffed and the two went to work, sweeping the scene and looking for any clue that might lead them to the girl's killer.

* * *

"I don't like the way she looks at you," Olivia hissed over her desk, trying to concentrate on her paperwork.

Elliot chuckled. "She looks at me the was Cassidy used to look at you," he said. "Things have a funny way of evening out."

"Why didn't he tell us he was leaving?" she asked, dropping her pen and folding her hands.

Elliot shrugged. "Maybe he thought I'd give him shit for it, or maybe...maybe the reason he left...I mean, he's a man, Liv. Things like that, admitting weakness and failure, they're not...easy things for guys to do."

Olivia sighed and picked her pen back up. "Well, we'll see him later, anyway. And I swear, if that woman doesn't stop looking at you like that..."

"Aw, is wittle Owivia a wittle jeawous?" he teased, smiling at her.

She looked up with a furrowed brow, then reached over the desk and slapped him with the folder in her hands. "Ass," she snapped.

"You love my ass," he joked, looking down at a file of his own, the one Porter had given him about Simon Marsden.

The two shared a laugh and talked softly, oblivious to the odd and fire-filled looks coming from Dani Beck, sitting in Cassidy's vacant seat.

She narrowed her eyes as she chewed on her pen, and stared at the two as they laughed and shared sweet looks. "Stabler," she said to herself, grinning, "You can do so much better than Benson."

Fin and Munch walked in, then, and all eyes looked toward them. "Nothin," Fin said, answering their unspoken question. "Nothin' from the alley, nothin' from the apartment, nothin' from...Dani?"

Dani smirked. She looked form Fin to Elliot, then back. She was really going to like the Special Victims Unit.

* * *

"This is the address Benson found for me," Chester said, getting out of the car.

Alex got out of her side, and followed him toward the stairs. "You're not allowed to knock on that door!" she yelled. "You can't legally work this case, Chester!"

"I'm not knocking," he said, climbing the steps. "You are."

Alex shook her head and folded her arms. "Excuse me?"

Chester smiled. "Legally, I can't knock on the door. You can. " He pulled her up the stairs by her elbow and said, "Do it, Alex."

Alex raised her arm and prepared to knock. "Wait," she said, turning to him suddenly. "Is this the home of the people that adopted him or the ones that took him?"

"If it was the home of the people that took him," he said, rolling his eyes, "Do you think I would be alone with you?" he scoffed. "I'd have this entire street lined with squad cars, Alex. This isn't just some kid, this is my son."

"Our son," Alex snapped. "The child you wanted nothing to do with for years! What's changed, huh?"

Chester ran a hand down his face. "I changed," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, Alex. For everything. I want to find him,. I want him back. I want...I want us back."

Alex was so busy staring at Chester, that she didn't see the door open, and she didn't see the man in the doorway, and she didn't see the gun.

**A/N: Gun? What? Sorry this chapter is so short. I'm sick and have a horrible headache, but I wanted to post this in a timely manner. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sometimes things work out much better than planned. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

Chester's gun was aimed in a moment, "NYPD!" he shouted. "Drop it!" he yelled at the man behind the door, pointing a gun at Alex.

The man raised his hands and stepped back. "Sorry," he gasped. "I thought...I thought they'd come back for my daughter."

"Did they tell you they would?" Chester asked, lowering his gun and reaching for the man's weapon.

Giving the gun to Chester willingly, the man nodded. "I got this...um...this letter."

"I need to see that," Chester said quickly.

"Hold it," Alex said, glaring at him. "You can't. You can't even be aware of what it says, you know that! I'll call Benson and Stabler."

Chester scoffed, shaking his head. "You do that while I go read this letter, huh?" He pushed by her and nodded at the man, who led him into the living room.

Alex took a deep breath as she pulled out her phone, knowing Chester was risking his badge for their son. She dialed, and she paused as the line rang. "Oliv...Benson? I got something for ya."

* * *

"I think I want to name the baby Julia," Kathy said, pawing through a plastic bin of old maternity clothes.

Joey, tying his tie, scoffed. "That's a stupid name for a boy."

Kathy laughed. "What makes you so sure it's a boy?"

"Well, we've got two girls," Joey said, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on. "Elliot had a boy his first time out, his last kid was a boy, I just think it's my turn. That's all."

"He had twins the first time," Kathy corrected. "And it wasn't just him, you have to take Olivia's genes and fertility into account. I'm obviously prone to having girls."

Joey rolled his eyes and grabbed his briefcase. "I need you to start believing it's a boy, Kath. Positive thinking, wish fulfillment, that whole bit."

Kathy laughed again. "What if I don't want a boy, Joey?"

He seethed and grimaced. "Don't," he said, shaking his head. "Please. I'm already gonna have to pay for two weddings, I would at least like to be the proud parent of a quarterback or fullback or something."

Kathy folded his arms. "Joseph Stabler," she nagged, "What says Kathleen can't play foot..."

He stopped her with a look. "She hates to get dirty and thinks boys who play in the mud are icky," he said. "Football is not in her future." He patted her belly. "That's a boy, Kath. I'm sure of it." He kissed her cheek and headed for the door. "I'll be home late!" he shouted, slamming the door behind him.

She watched after him, and shook her head. "I really don't wanna disappoint you, Joey."

* * *

Dani Beck glared over her yellow folder at the head of her partner. She was hoping his face would burst into flames.

"Can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I have been flirting with other men right in front of you all week, and you don't care," she snapped, dropping the file onto her desk.

Fin chuckled. "No," he said, leaning forward. "You been flirtin' with Stabler right in front of me all week. That man wouldn't notice you if you sat on his lap, naked, with your head on fire." He folded his arms. "He only has eyes for his wife, Dani. Always has, always will."

Dani squinted. "He's married?" she asked. "What the hell is he doing teasing the shit out of his partner, then?" She shook her head and said, "Besides, that isn't the point!"

Fin narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "I'm sleepin' with someone else, Dani. Do you really think it's gonna bother me if you do?"

Her face fell, she went pale, and she sat back. "I guess not," she said. "Would it bother you if Casey slept with..."

He snarled, unaware, and looked away from her back to his paperwork.

She shook her head. She had her answer.

* * *

"When did you get this letter?" Olivia asked, sealing the paper in a clear evidence bag before reading it again.

She was met with silence.

Elliot took a step toward the nervous man on the couch. "Mister Powell," he said, "My partner has the patience of a saint, trust that, but me? I'm an instant gratification kind of guy. If I don't get what I want, when I want it, I get cranky. Do you really wanna know what I'm like when I'm cranky?"

"N-n-no," Powell stammered.

"Then answer Detective Benson's question," Elliot said. "When did you get that letter?"

Powell bit his lip and looked up at him. "A week ago," he said, flinching as the words left his mouth, knowing they would yell.

"A week ago?" Olivia shouted. "You've had this for a week and you didn't call us?"

"You read the letter!" the man yelled, standing. "He threatened to kill Elliot if I told the cops!"

Olivia gasped and shot her eyes up from the letter, but then she sighed. "Oh, right," she breathed. "Your son."

"That's not his name," Alex said, standing in the hallway.

Olivia handed the letter to Elliot and moved toward the distraught blonde. "Alex, go wait outside with Chester. You shouldn't be here any more than he..."

"What would you do if this was your son, Benson?" Alex questioned, interrupting.

Olivia knew she would do exactly the same thing, if not more, but she couldn't tell Alex that. "I would have to let another cop handle it, wouldn't I? Just...please...go outside. Chester needs you with him."

Alex shook her head and left, slamming the door behind her.

Olivia moved back into the living room and turned toward Mister Powell. "I think it was just a threat. Most kidnappers use that tactic to keep the parents from getting the cops involved, especially if they have something really terrible to hide." She tilted her head. "I don't think she has any intention of hurting your son."

"She?" Elliot asked, squinting. "How do you know it's..."

Olivia cut him off when she turned to Powell's wife, standing in the kitchen doorway wringing a dishtowel in her hands. "Where is he, Ma'am?"

"What?" the woman asked, dropping the towel to the floor.

Olivia took the letter back from Elliot and stepped toward the woman. "Handwriting here matches the statement you wrote for us when you filed your missing person's report." She tilted her head again. "Where is the boy, Ma'am?"

Elliot beamed as he stared at Olivia. His eyes, wide with shock and amusement, traveled down the length of her body and back up to meet her face. He stared at her lips as they moved, lost in interrogation, and he smirked. The lips he loved to see wrap around his dick, lips he loved to kiss, lips he swore he would make smile every day for the rest of his life.

She felt him staring at her, she turned her head and her golden-flecked eyes glimmered as they met his. She gave him a soft smile and a nod, then turned her attention back to the crying woman.

Elliot's eyes widened, then, and he moved in time to get between Olivia and Powell, who had leaped off the couch toward his wife.

Olivia turned in time to see Elliot take the punch meant for her, and she backed away, covering the woman behind her.

Recovering quickly, Elliot shook his head and cuffed Powell, then watched as Olivia did the same to the other woman.

The pair of detectives looked at each other, grinned, and led their arrestees out of the house, past Alex and Chester, who were worried and more hurt than they had ever been.

* * *

Cragen put the file down and folded his arms as he looked at the man in his office. "No," he said, firm and final.

"It's the only way to nail this guy," the man replied. "You know it is."

"Agent Porter," Cragen began, his eyes severe, "I will not put Detective Benson on the line so you can nab a fugitive you never should have lost. I knew you followed him to New York and now that you know he's looking for her..."

Porter leaned closer and interrupted him. "Exactly," he seethed. "He'll come out of whatever hole he's in if it means he has a chance to meet his sister. I swear, she won't be in any danger. Hell, Stabler can go with her!"

Cragen thought for a moment. "He stays with her, at all times," he said. "They will be armed, and wired, and watched. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir," Porter said, smirking. "You have my word."

Cragen sighed as he signed the form in the file and snapped it shut. He handed it back to Porter. "Don't make me regret this," he warned.

"Yes, Sir," Porter repeated, chuckling in victory as he left to collect Olivia and Elliot.

Cragen chewed on his lower lip as Porter left, and then he heaved a heavy sigh. Something wasn't right and he was going to find out what. He reached for the phone and dialed, then waited. "Uh, yes, this is Captain Donald Cragen, NYPD, Manhattan Special Victims," he said. "I need to speak with Andrew Eckerson. Yes, it's very important. Yes, I'll hold." He drummed his fingers along his desk, waiting anxiously, hoping he could unearth Porter's plans before it was too late.

**A/N: An undercover op, Olivia meets Simon, Casey has a surprise for Fin, and Olivia has one for Elliot!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It is not things that make our lives worth living, but people. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Olivia mumbled, her voice soft as she spoke to no one.

A voice in her ear assured her it would, then Elliot took the seat across from her. He slid a cup of coffee in front of her, offered her a smile, and said, "Porter, if this ends badly, it'll be your ass..."

"Relax," Dean Porter said, his voice flitting through their earpieces. "We have eyes all over this bookstore, there's no way anyone is getting hurt."

Sipping his coffee, Elliot hummed. He swallowed, then looked at Olivia. "I love you," he mouthed.

She grinned at him, leaned over the table, and kissed his lips softly. "I love you, too," she whispered against his skin.

Porter grumbled, hoping they couldn't hear him, and checked his watch. Simon was already late.

* * *

"Are you sure he's okay?" Chester asked, staring worriedly into a doctor's eyes.

The man in white sighed. "Detective Lake," he said, huffing, "Not a bruise, not a scratch, not even a hair out of place. Your son is perfectly fine."

Alex looked up at his words, her eyes glued to Chester, hoping to see his reaction. She saw relief in his features, the worry slowly lifting from his face, and she, too, relaxed. She followed with her stare as he moved, sat beside her, and shook his head.

"Those are the people you left him with?" he snarled, not looking at her.

"I didn't know them," she said, blinking away tears. "I just knew...I couldn't keep Ches...Elliot." She cringed, saying the name his adoptive parents had given him.

Chester looked at her and tilted his head. "You named him Elliot," he snorted. "It's always gonna be him, isn't it."

"I didn't..." she choked, stumbled, and took a breath. "I named him Chester, okay? But when they were writing out his birth certificate, I panicked. I couldn't lose another Chester Lake." She didn't stop the tears this time, and she sniffled as she continued. "I just said 'Elliot' without thinking, because he's the only other man I know that I would have been proud to name my son after."

Chester was staring at her, silent, stunned. He moved too fast for her to react, his hands gripped her shoulders, his body pulled hers close, and he kissed her with more fire than he'd intended.

* * *

"She say why she did it?" Casey asked over her shoulder, pulling an earring out of her ear.

Fin shrugged as he moved up behind her. "She caught him cheatin' on her, thought fakin' a kidnapping would be an easier way to milk him out of a million bucks than a divorce." He ran his hands over her smooth shoulders, his fingers dug into her skin just slightly as he dragged them down her arms. "She said he'd do anything for his son."

Casey hummed, squinted, and said, "You never have to worry about that."

He tilted his head, confused. "What?"

She turned in his arms, her own hands now laced together at his back. "I would never try to take our son away from you, no matter what you did. Even if I only left him with my mother, I would tell you."

Fin chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Well, that's good to know," he said. "It ain't you I gotta worry about, Case. It's Melinda."

"Fin," Casey said, her tone serious, her eyes begging him to stop kidding around. "I need you to make a choice," she said, her body tensing in his hold.

"You're scarin' me, here," he told her, pulling her closer.

"I'm scared, too, Fin, trust me," Casey breathed as she closed her eyes. "I just...you need to choose. Right now. Is it gonna be me, Beck, or Melinda?"

He furrowed his brow. "I thought you said I could take time if..."

"We're out of time, Fin," Casey interrupted. She took a breath, looked at him, and couldn't help smiling. "I think...I'm pregnant."

* * *

"We've been here for an hour," Olivia grumbled into her bracelet microphone. "I've got kids, ya know."

Elliot scratched his head and downed the last of his fifth cup of coffee. "Maybe he got cold feet," he shrugged. "He's been watching you for years, probably planned out exactly what he'd say if he ever got to meet you face-to-face, and he's terrified you have no desire to have him in your life."

"Okay, you need to stop watching Doctor Phil," Olivia teased.

He laughed. "That wasn't Doctor Phil, that was Doctor Huang," he told her. "I pay attention in those seminars."

She shot him a look. "Okay, I pay attention to the slideshows during his seminars, but bottom line, I learned something."

"Okay, you two," Porter spat, almost hissing in their ears. "He's walking into the building. He's heading for your table."

Elliot's head turned, and he blinked once as a younger man in a brown, leather jacket, walked up to them, bit his lip, and took off his ball cap. "I'm assuming," Elliot said calmly, "That you're Simon?"

The man nodded. He looked at Olivia and smiled, tears in his eyes. "Olivia, it's...I don't even...God, I had this whole list of things I wanted to say to you and now...I can't think of anything."

She looked at Elliot, who was smirking proudly, and she shook her head. "How...I mean, how did you...know?"

Simon blinked, then pulled out the third chair at the table. Then he stopped, looked around, and his eyes widened. "How many of you are here?"

Elliot felt his heart thud. "What? Who?"

"Cops," Simon hissed. "I know you'd never show up here alone. Listen to me, we have to get out of here, now. Are you...are you wired?"

Olivia went white. "Calm down, okay? It's just us. We're just talking."

"He set me up," Simon gritted out. "That slimy son of a..."

"Who?" Elliot asked. "Look, man, we're willing to work with you here, but you have to..."

"Porter," Simon snapped. "Three years ago, I got collared for something I didn't do. They took fingerprints, blood, you name it, they sucked it outta me. Porter was the man in charge, and when he told me they got a hit in the system on an unsolved rape, I almost..."

"Whoa," Olivia said, leaning forward now. "Porter was the one who told you about me?"

Simon bit his lip and nodded. He took a breath and sat down. "He asked if I had any idea, and then he showed me a picture of you and...well my dad...our...our dad had this shoebox full of clippings and pictures and letters. I just thought you were some niece of his I'd never met."

"Back to Porter," Elliot said, grabbing Olivia's hand.

"Right," Simon said with a breath. "He told me...he'd let me go if I promised not to contact you. Something about making it look bad if I got pinched and ran to my cop sister." He ran a hand down his face. "I moved to New York, and I swear, it was just a coincidence, being at your deli, your dry cleaner, I wasn't stalking you, but he...he grabbed me at a supermarket once, told me if I played nice and left you alone he'd arrange a meeting."

Olivia sniffled and squeezed Elliot's hand. "So...then..."

"So then someone breaks into your house, I'm Porter's first suspect," Simon barked, shaking his head. "Olivia, I swear, I wasn't even there! But Porter...he saw my wall...he thought that...look, I wouldn't hurt you. Or the kids. Ever. I know you don't know me enough to believe me, but you're the only family I've got now. I would never..."

"Liv," Elliot said, turning his head toward her. "I believe him."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Why would Porter set him up, El? What reason would he have to..."

Elliot held up a hand. "For years, Porter's had to go out of his way to save my ass, some debt his father owed mine." He scoffed. "Son of a bitch knows he can't hurt me, not directly, so he was trying to hurt you, the worst way he knew how."

Olivia opened her mouth to ask him what he meant. Before she could get the words out of her mouth, Dean Porter appeared at the side of their table, his arms folded. "I think we should all go somewhere...quiet."

* * *

"It's one thing to keep their marriage from your staff," Tucker said, his nostrils flaring, "But to keep the fact that you're his father to yourself is a new low, Don."

Cragen shook his head. "No one was supposed to find out," he said. "I wasn't even really sure..."

"You're risking a lot for them," Tucker interrupted, "Even put them on a bogus case to get them out of here while this investigation went down to keep them out of it. You can't tell me you honestly consider them..."

"Family," Cragen said. "Yeah, I do."

As the men fell into a stiff silence, a knock on the door cut through the tension. "Come in," Tucker ordered.

The door opened, Trevor Langan walked in holding a thick file. "I don't want to interrupt, but...I need to know where Stabler and Benson are."

"Not a good time to make amends with your frenemies, Langan," Cragen said, gritting his teeth.

"No, I'm not trying to apologize for what happened with Stabler's father," Langan said. Then he sighed. "I'm trying to apologize for what happened with Benson's." He threw the file onto Tucker's desk. "If you know where they are, if they're with Porter, you need to get them back here. Now."

**A/N: Uh oh.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Live your life the way you see fit, to make yourself happy, to make it a beautiful life.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

Elliot rolled his eyes for the seventh time at Dean's poor excuses and explanations, and just as he was about to say something in rebuttal, his phone rang. He reached for his phone, narrowing his eyes a bit as he did so. "Stabler," he spat. He listened, his eyes darkening and his nostrils flaring a bit as he listened. "Yeah, ya don't say? No, she's fine."

"Who are you talking to?" Olivia asked, tilting her head.

He held up a finger, then looked over at Simon, giving him a serious look, silently telling him that he believed him. "You got it, Cap." He hung up, slipped the phone in his pocket, and took Olivia's hand. "Let's go," he said, pulling her out of the booth in which they'd been sitting.

"Hold on," Dean yelled, "We're not finished here."

Elliot turned his head and scoffed. "Oh, we're done, Porter." He pointed a finger and nearly jabbed it into Dean's chest. "Stay away from her," he threatened.

Dean smirked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Elliot sneered. "Whatever you got on her father, you keep it to yourself, understand? We crossed that bridge a long time ago, and bringing Simon into this for your own personal gain…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Olivia interrupted.

Elliot, his eyes still fixed on Porter, said, "My buddy Dean, here, spent most of his adult life watching my back. I thought it was friendship, but I was wrong. Seems he'd much rather not have anything to do with me. He figured he'd hurt me, make up for years of keeping my ass out of the sling, by hurting you, Liv."

Simon stood up and crossed his arms. "What?"

"We have to go back to the station," Elliot said, turning his back on Dean and pulling Olivia out of the dim café. "You, too, Marsden!"

Simon gave one last threatening look toward Dean Porter, then followed the sister he'd only just met out of the building and into the car.

* * *

"Well?" Fin called into the bathroom. "You done yet?"

Casey let out a frustrated grunt as she shouted back, "It's not microwave popcorn, Fin!"

He laughed in spite of the situation, and he sighed as he slid down the wall beyond the bathroom. "If that's a plus sign…ya know…I'm not gonna leave you, Case." He closed his eyes.

"I know," Casey said, slowly opening the door. "But what if it's not?"

He looked up at her, his smile turning slightly sad. "I'm here, Case. I'm not goin' anywhere. This isn't high school, I only…I guess I dated Dani because I still…"

"I'm sorry," Casey said, dropping to the floor beside him. "Fin, I…we can't do this again. It's not fair. We're both always going to wander…you back to Melinda, or Dani, me back to…" She rested her head on his shoulder. "If this turned out to be more than just a scare…I don't…I don't honestly know if you'd be the father." She cringed as the words left her lips.

"Trevor?" he asked, knowing.

She blinked once. "Yeah," she said. "We've been trying to figure things out…he apologized and he said he was gonna make things right. I don't know what that means, but…I believe him, Fin." She sniffled. "I almost married him, Fin. I do…I love him."

"So…this is it, then? For good?" Fin asked, already having his answer. He turned and kissed her forehead, and he whispered, "I will always love you, Novak. First and most."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Same here," she said, and she looked into his eyes and knew that although it hurt to lie to him, things would just be better this way.

* * *

"Kathy?" Joey called, running toward the bedroom. "Kath?"

"In here," Kathy shouted from the kitchen. She turned to look at him as he ran through the door. "What's wrong? You look…"

"We have to get to the hospital," he said. "Now." He grabbed her hand and pulled her hard toward the door.

"Is it your mother?" she asked, worried.

He shook his head. "No, no…I…shit, I didn't even call mom, yet. God, It's Tori." He blinked fast and said, "Call Elliot." He thrust her purse into the hand he wasn't clutching. "Just call, Elliot, and tell him it's…just call him."

"Oh, God, Joey, she wasn't…" she stopped, the look in his eyes saying that's exactly what had happened.

"Please, baby," he whispered, "Call Elliot. And Olivia."

She nodded as she followed Joey out of their place and into their car, and she took the phone out of her purse almost as soon as she sat in the passenger seat. She dialed the first number, and only hoped one of them would actually answer her call.

* * *

Chester was peeking over the side of the hospital bed, watching his son sleep. "So are we gonna fight for him? Get him back?"

Alex, her arms folded across her chest, shook her head. "I don't know, Chess. I don't even think there's a legal way to…"

"They're in jail," Chester interrupted. "The system 's overloaded with kids, I'm sure the judge would side with the biological parents…us…in this case."

Alex pressed her lips together. "Would you want that? With me?"

"A life? A kid?" He chuckled and moved toward her. "Alex, I wanted that with you years ago. You…you ran from me then, and I'm scared to death you're gonna run now, but I want this. I want you, and our son, and I want to make this work."

"Um, mommy?" a small voice called from the bed. His tiny bottom lip quivered and he looked around, searching. "Mommy?"

Alex looked at Chester, then back at her son. Guilt flooded her and she sighed. She ran toward the bed and scooped up the three year old. "Mommy's right here," she whispered, and she wondered how this was ever going to work.

* * *

"Where is she?" Elliot shouted, barreling into the emergency room at Mercy General. His head was pounding, his whole being still reeling from what he'd read in the file Trevor gave him. "Joey, where the hell is she?"

Joey held up both hands. "She's in an exam room," he said. He looked over to his left. "Who are these guys?"

Olivia pointed. "You remember Fin," she said. "And this is John Munch, they…"

"Tori's my sister, we're family. We can't have anything to do with the case," Elliot said. "They're gonna take her statement and…" he tried to control his breathing. "Where was she? Who was she with?"

"She wouldn't tell me," Joey said, biting his lip. "The kids are fine," he said, looking at Olivia, whose mouth was open in preparation to ask that very question. "They're with Nicole."

Olivia nodded and fell deeper into Elliot's arms. He turned and kissed her forehead, taking a deep breath. "Never," he said. "I'm never gonna let anyone…"

His sincere thought was interrupted by a shrill voice. "Where's my daughter?"

The small group turned to see Bernie Stabler shouting at an orderly. Elliot closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Shit." He wrapped one arm around Olivia's shoulders and walked, holding her, over to his mother, hoping to calm her down, and praying his sister was all right. "Munch," he said, turning toward his friend, "If you get a name…"

"You got it," Munch said, before heading for Victoria's room. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. It was gonna be a long night.

**A/N: Next: An emotional night for Elliot and Olivia, potty train success, a reunion, a death, and a miracle.**


End file.
